Where is Mind in

Nature
November 24, 2013

All Searching for the

Mind posts describe intelligent behavior in nature
that is difficult to explain using theories that only
allow for random interactions between molecules
that is, without mind. Intelligent behavior in nature
can be observed in, at least, 6 orders of magnitude
from the size of a human being down to the size of
cells, and an unknown number of orders of
magnitude larger if we include interactions with
other people and society (the entire earth would be
7 more orders of magnitude). Many different posts
demonstrate recent scientific findings that implicate
mind interacting with matter in the human brain, in
animals, plants and cellsboth microbes and human
cells. Viruses, which are basically only a strand of
DNA or RNA, also demonstrate complex intelligent
behavior. Critical questions include where is mind in
nature and what form could it take?
Most of the data for posts were discovered in the
months before they were written. The vast
complexity of molecular and cellular behavior is just
now being uncovered. As a result, generation old
dogmas, which currently dominate science, are

rapidly being undermined and a new paradigm is

needed. The notion that random molecular
movement and emergence from this can explain
subjective experience is a bankrupt theory. The
word emergence is used when the mechanism is
not understood.
This post will break with the website format of only
referring to scientific data. It will first summarize
important discoveries that infer mind interacts with
matter and then offer a speculation about a possible
mechanism.

Salient Recent Research

The Human Brain
Study of the human brain reveals processes that
cannot be easily explained without the interaction of
brain and mind.

Neuroplasticity: When a
thought or learning occurs, it triggers wide-ranging
changes in large brain circuits. Posts have discussed a wide
range of different mechanisms that occur in hundreds of
different parts of these circuits at the same time. (See post
for details)
A very brief list includes:

Changes inside neurons of scaffolding molecules and

movement of mitochondria strengthening synapses.
Complex receptor proteins that exchange their
subunits.
A cooperative alteration of both pre synaptic
neurotransmitter and postsynaptic receptor.
Triggering of specific new complex motors.
Alterations in the post synaptic density, a complex of
over a thousand interlocking unique large proteins,
different each brain region.
Complex alterations of the molecules in the
extracellular space not attached to any cells.

Any one of these might be possible to explain on

purely mechanistic grounds. But, having all of these
alter in sync triggered by a subjective experience is
impossible to explain without a unifying factor such
as mind. Without some central direction, it is
difficult to imagine all of this occurring at once.

Hidden Talents: Using

virtual reality gear, researchers are able to stimulate out of
body experiences in ordinary people, showing a separation
of mind and body. Also, psychedelics give counterintuitive
results of increased mental activity with great decrease in
brain activity, opening question of doors of perception
into mind. Many triggers can stimulate very unusual
spiritual experiences. Brain injuries can trigger very
unusual mental capacities that appear to be repressed by
brain regions.

There is no Center in the

Brain: Intensive study for a generation by a half a million
neuroscientists worldwide has found no center in the brain
for subjective experience. Recent studies show that the
brain is much less modular than previously thought
(modularity would go along with a computer model of the
brain.) Most of the neurons are connected to multiple
sensory inputs. Also, the hubs in the brain circuits are
noted to have large amounts of local connections, but all
also have massive long-range connections. This goes
against a modular theory. Mind must interact with many
different regions at once. This is also better explained by
interaction with mind.
Perceptions: It is very difficult to determine what causes
perceptions. Our senses are limited to narrow bands of
what exists (for example the narrow band of vision,
hearing, and touch among the possible frequencies). But,
the perception is only somewhat determined by the
sensory input. In fact, it is determined in larger amount by
the expectations, memories, desires and needs. Also,
somehow, perceptions from social experiences are able to
influence specific gene networks in immune cells.

Animal Brains

Animals are much more

aware than scientists have realized, even very small
animals with tiny brains.
Animal research is demonstrating advanced cognition and
social behavior in very small brains. For example, bees
exhibit completely different structures related to advanced
individual abilities of symbolic language, abstract concepts,
advanced learning, mathematical abilities and
kaleidoscopic visual memory.
Birds have demonstrated advanced verbal learning and
syntax. Lizards demonstrate high intelligence and
advanced social behavior. Empathy and mourning are seen
through much of the animal kingdoms.
It is very difficult to explain the behavior of
individual bees, ants, lizards and birds, as well as
many other animals, without considering that they
also share interaction with mind.

Plant Intelligence

Plants demonstrate surprising

intelligence.
Research shows dramatic abilities of decisionmaking, complex communication including
communication at great distance through fungal
wires, and for self-defense. A plant is able to plan
ahead to the time of the morning dew, to make a
toxic chemical that will kill mildew at that moment.
Any sooner or later they could kill themselves with
the toxin.
Plants, in their fight with microbes, create new complex
proteins in a constant back and forth battle. They also use
RNAs in this battle.
Plants are able to determine exactly how much sugar they
have until dawn and apportion the usage by
mathematically dividing the amount into the time
remaining. In experiments where sugar is added, they
recalculate the amount and increase the hourly amount
that will last till the next light. They also exhibit short term
and long-term memory.
Plants are able to engineer their surroundings for their
advantage.

In order to get nitrogen, plants have a very complex back

and forth communication with microbes to invite them into
the plant to build a nitrogen factory. This involves many
steps and signals, any one of which if not answered
correctly would stop the process. The plant then builds a
factory around them.

Microbe Intelligence

Microbes exhibit many

brainlike capacities without a brain. They show
decision-making from multiple inputs, group behavior, and
advanced communication. Microbes can self-edit/mutate
their genes to make special proteins to combat viruses,
other microbes, and plants. These are complex large
proteins that depend upon their exact shape. With the most
advanced supercomputers, humans cannot calculate the
folding of an average sized protein, from the codes. Yet
microbes appear to know.
Microbes demonstrate innovations to fight autophagy in
cells. One microbe, leprosy, manipulates genes turning
nerve cells into stem cells and then into muscle cells;

Amoeba are able to live

as individual cells, then when needed to travel for
food, they form what appears to be a multicellular
creature made of a stalk and flowering body. The
flowering body flies away in the wind or on animals
feet, whereas the stalk sacrifices itself and stays
behind. Recent studies show that family members
are more likely to sacrifice for others and enter the
stalk.

Mitochondria are
previously independent microbes, who relinquished
some of the freedom to live inside of our cells. In
exchange for the protection of a large cell, they
produce energy. They stay in constant and
instantaneous contact with the functioning of the
neuron. When thought occurs and dendrites and
axons are being built and remodeled, the
mitochondria multiply and travel to these spots to
give more chemical energy for the process. Later,
they will move elsewhere where necessary.

Virus Intelligence

Even more remarkable

are viruses, also, self-editing/mutating their DNA to
form complex proteins in battle with many different
foes. Viruses demonstrate complex behavior, with
positive and negative relations with bacteria and
humans.
One example (out of thousands) traces the intelligent
behavior of the herpes virus in humans. See post Virus
Intelligence.
Herpes virus uses five distinct receptors to fuse with
the skin cells membrane, allowing DNA to enter the
cell. There it foils the complex nuclear pore
mechanisms and enters the nucleus. With a more
complex process it forms a circle of DNA and uses
the cells machinery to reproduce. This new virus
now leaves the skin cells and enters a neuron, where
it hijacks the complex transport motors; it takes
over the motor, accelerating it and directing it the
long way up the axon to the nucleus where again it
fools a different complex nuclear pore mechanism.
In the neurons nucleus it changes its behavior and
produces molecules that stop further activity to not
kill the neuron. It can remain there for many years.
Later, it is reactivated and leaves the nucleus, again
travelling back on the microtubule machinery along

the long axon. It, then, leaves the neuron and enters
skin cells where it reproduces.

Cellular Intelligence

Neurons, immune cells,

and cancer cells, which are vastly more complex
than microbes, demonstrate extremely advanced
communication and group activity.
Human cells use cellular self-editing in multiple different
ways. They edit their own DNA for errors. They edit their
own DNA in very complex ways to make antibodies and T
cell receptors. They edit messenger RNA in a very complex
process called alternative splicing, where what was
previously considered one gene makes not one protein but
up to 500.

T cells demonstrate many

intelligent functions. They mature by building complex
receptors that are then able to send and receive large
numbers of cytokine wireless signals. They travel through
the body searching for cancer, defective cells, and microbe
infested cells. But, when in the cerebrospinal fluid they
control the other immune cells, and send wireless signals
to brain cells, which are necessary for normal cognitive
function. When there is an inflammation, in the CSF, the
stimulate action from the immune cells and they signal the
brain to decrease cognition with the sick feeling
Jumping genes, transposons and retro transposons,
demonstrate complex behavior, which need to be
counteracted with a unique immune system inside the
cells nucleus. Individual cells have developed different
versions of the nuclear immune system, called CRISPR, to
fight the massive effects of jumping genes.
Also, individual cells in different regions of the brain
develop their own unique intrinsic immune systems for
different bacteria and viruses with extensive innovation.

Current Unproven Theories

At this moment in the development of science, there

is no way to prove any of the current theories of
mind. They are all speculation.
The most popular theory of neuronal connections has many
problems, some listed in my recent post, The Limits of
Current Neuroscience. Electrical connection theories are
complicated by chemical synapses, brain waves, astrocyte
networks, cytokine communication with immune cells,
extracellular space actions, as well as the unique behavior
of individual neurons and the many different kinds of
neurons.

Quantum and information

theories are fascinating, but many years of research remain
and dont necessarily explain subjective mind either. With
non-locality, discontinuous behavior, simultaneous wave
and particle nature, the physicist David Bohm said the
structure of the universe is much more reminiscent of how
the organs constituting living beings are related, than it is
of how parts of a machine interact. (Wholeness and the
Implicate Order, p272).
The Penrose and Hammeroff microtubules quantum theory
would apply to all cells. Other quantum theories would
apply to all inanimate objects as well.

Information theory is still in early stages of any feasible

explanation how it could relate to subjective
experience. Integrated Information Theory attempts to
calculate consciousness but does not yet explain subjective
experience.
All molecular theories currently have no basis to
explain subjective experience.

Speculation: A Layer of Mind Beneath

Physics
For thousands of years philosophers have argued many
positions about the nature of mind, all with advantages and
disadvantages. None are any closer to being proven
scientifically. There are now a hundred different isms and
many different synonyms for each.
The two most extreme positions are that everything
is matter, materialism, and that everything is mind,
idealism.

The first extreme position

is basically that of modern science. There are many
reasons why the view is limited. It considers mind as an
epiphenomenaan emergent property of matter. Using the

word emergence means that the mechanism is not

understood.
The other extreme is that everything is mind or
Spirit, some form of energy and matter coalesces
from it. There are, also, many problems in explaining
science with this position.
Perhaps, a more practical position is in between. The
middle ground posits that energy, mind, and matter
all exist in a continuum as parts of basic nature. One
word for this is panpsychism. This position has some
difficulties, also, but is closer to our commonsense
experience in life. There are many good books on
this theory. Some of the views expressed here are
further described in Panpsychism In the West by
David Skrbina; Unsnarling the World-Knot by David
Ray Griffin; Panpsychism: The Philosophy of the
Sensuous Cosmos by Ells; and Mind, Memory, Time
by Carl Gunther.
There are many famous scientists, philosophers, and
theologians who have expressed versions of this middle
ground. An example is that of Thomas Edison, the great
inventor, who wrote:
I cannot avoid the conclusion that all matter is
composed of intelligent atoms and that life and mind
are merely synonyms for the aggregation of atomic
intelligence.

Commonsense View
1) The only access we have to the external world is
our perception and thoughts about it. This occurs
because our minds exist.

2) Perception is greatly limited by the small

bandwidth of each sensenarrow bands of light,
sound, touch and smell). It is also influenced by
expectation and memories of previous events. There
are many more neurons from the cortex interacting
downward with the incoming sensory neurons, than
the total number of sensory neurons providing data
from the outside. Perception is affected by needs
and desires. It is biased by situations. Details are
missed or excluded. There are illusions, medical
conditions, and errors. The multisensory brain
chooses one sense over anothersight over sound.
3) Science is completely based on minds with
perceptions. The only way science knows anything
about the external world is by accepting that there
are other minds, studying our perceptions, and
seeing if a group of minds agree with the findings.
Mathematical concepts are added to explain and
predict these observations. All of mathematics is a
subset of mind. (The notion that someone can
refute the existence of mind in general by using
their own mind is absurd.)
4) Bodies are observed as a perception both our
body and others bodies. We agree together that we
are connected to each of our bodies.

5) Some form of mind

exists in animals, cells, viruses and perhaps

molecules. Mind can interact instantly in at least six

orders of magnitude at the same second: perception
of a social interaction causes neuroplastic
changes in multiple cells, alterations in multiple
neuronal networks and stress circuits, and
stimulation of complex genetic networks deep inside
immune cells. Mind, therefore, must interact with
molecular mechanisms at all of these levels at the
same time.
6) Mental functions exist in a hierarchy from virus
and cells to animals and humans. Among animals
there are many unique intelligences, despite the
human claim to be the only superior mind.
7) Small simple mind entities that interact at
molecular levels could combine into larger minds
that interact with brains and society. These
experiential simple mind entities must exist beneath
and around all molecules and then coalesce into
those large enough to interact with cells and brains.
To answer the question where is mind in nature, one
possible answer is a layer of experiential subjective
entities of proto-mind beneath physics.
This entry was posted in Blog, Human Brain, Mathematics, Information and Physical Reality, Where
is the Mind: Orders of Magnitude and tagged Amoeba show intelligence and altruism, Cancer cells
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