Quantum Physics Explanation For Smell

Originally posted by Illusionsaregrander
I just sort of have my money on them finding out that things APPEAR to travel faster than the speed of light because time and space dont really work the way we think they do.

Im in the "time isnt real" camp.

Same here, but the problem is with the word "real." It's all about perspective imo. Time can be "real" and useful in one "place" (any spatial dimension automatically generates its own time according to Einstein, thus the term "space-time") and appear non-existent or to even go backwards in a quantum environment.

This touches on my post immediately above, because one of the implications of instantaneous entanglement is in fact that space and time are both totally illusory and can be bypassed from the right "place" (a "place" that's ironically unlike any other "place" known to science -- a place that is not a place, or time.. think of mystical implications of that one ). And that in turn would basically be another way of saying that Einstein was half right about space and time, but there are other "places" besides the space and time we're familiar with.

Originally posted by Illusionsaregrander
reply to post by CLPrime

 

How about if the "database" were actually an intelligent consciousness that was the aggregate of all things, in all times, and all places, and access to it came simply from "remembering" on a deep and true level that "you" were the aggregate and not limited to the 'individual" experience.

On the mystic/philosophic level, thats what it looks like.

Very different word choices, but essentially what you said there is what it looks like to the mystic.

Also, I've been hearing a lot about the "technological singularity". While I usually ignore the term, I think the application of Quantum Mechanics to the human senses could very well lead to an intelligence singularity, where we gain knowledge at a rate faster than our mind can handle. What happens to humanity when we start outsmarting our own minds?

reply to post by Resentedhalo08


The physicist tries to "describe and prove" what the mystic "experiences and knows," as I see it. If you have both, the ability to access the mystic truths AND a good grasp of the sciences, you hit the jackpot.

Its not common for the mystic to be a physicist nowadays or vice versa, and only recently is physics even close to having language to begin to describe the mystic truths. But the exciting part to me is that they ARE coming to the same conclusions, just sometimes not in a straight line. Which I totally understand, "knowing" and proving are very, very different things, with the second being much more stringent and rigorous and laborious.

Originally posted by CLPrime
I think the application of Quantum Mechanics to the human senses could very well lead to an intelligence singularity, where we gain knowledge at a rate faster than our mind can handle. What happens to humanity when we start outsmarting our own minds?

I think that would create a dire problem for us, I think we would see degenerative illnesses occur such as alsheimers and others, simply because our brains will not be able to handle such data exchange.

Who know's.

But having said that, the brain is a remarkable thing and it can re-wire itself in ways that we don't even understand yet, such as if a person is in a car accident or something and they sustain brain injury in an area of their brain, another part in time will be re-wired and compensate.

Prehaps we might force evolution along a bit by making our minds re-wire.

Originally posted by CLPrime
Also, I've been hearing a lot about the "technological singularity". While I usually ignore the term, I think the application of Quantum Mechanics to the human senses could very well lead to an intelligence singularity, where we gain knowledge at a rate faster than our mind can handle. What happens to humanity when we start outsmarting our own minds?

A supernova!

Or maybe we could just create a few races of our own, stay out of their view but "inject" the venomous knowledge and then watch them develop and see how they handle it.


In fact I think that's exactly why we exist right now.

reply to post by CLPrime


I would say the individuality probably breaks down when that happens in favor of a super consciousness. So instead of many individual "personalities" they would merge into a singular consciousness, maybe not at the level of universal at this stage, but perhaps global.

I keep considering that single celled life forms at some point began living as units, and if they had any individual consciousness, (if, I dont know or claim they did) what became of it when they formed multicelled units, like us? Even the cells themselves are units formed of smaller units. Some propose that our consciousness is the coordinated activity of the whole brain. I tend to think it may be even more than that, but the coordinated activity of the whole, of all of our cells and even some of the bacteria and such we dont think of as us. (There is some research to support the idea that viruses and bacteria have a profound effect on mood and mental health.)

But "I" as an individual am the collective operation of billions. Perhaps it will be like that for humanity.

And I know the idea creeps people out, to lose individual identity. But think of it this way, experientially, it is not really like losing "you" it is gaining everything else and adding it to the idea of "you."

Originally posted by Resentedhalo08
Another interesting application is if you reversed a technology which senses quantum physical smell to a device that emits it. Just imagine a new generation of environmentally friendly airfreshners where the smell is created by this quantum physics effect.

Excellent lol, I want the first cat litter box.

Oh oh, could the gov. use this to find out what people are doing in their homes? Let's say they decide to make smoking illegal, could they use it to find out if someone is smoking?

Some of this just leaves me feeling in awe, and so very small in this universe... or multiverse.... we happen to be a teeny tiny part of.

Harm None
Peace

reply to post by Resentedhalo08

reply to post by bsbray11

reply to post by Illusionsaregrander


This seems to be where we differ. My answer to my own question would be something more along the lines of, "We'd all succumb to epilepsy and slip into comas until we, as a species, die." I don't think the brain would be able to adapt quickly enough to handle such an increase in information. If it were allowed to happen gradually, then maybe, but I'm not sure the progression of such technology could be controlled well enough to assure things never get out of hand. Personally, I'd be reluctant to become part of any "global thought collective."

reply to post by CLPrime


No doubt at first there would be problems, such as alsheimers and epilepsy etc

But eventually the brain would find a way of compensating.

Unless we all slip into coma's beforehand ofcourse!

It really does depend on the progression of technology and biological engineering, as I have previously stated the two will eventually start to swap places and also meld together, so prehaps at the time when a technological singularity occurs, technology itself would be so identical to biology that it would be a natural progression, in this case evolution would speed up exponentially and in effect we would become masters of our own race and how we develop.

Originally posted by amazed
Excellent lol, I want the first cat litter box.

haha yeah they are awefully smelly aren't they, but if this theory is ever developed into a practical technology there is no reason why that couldn't become a reality.

Oh oh, could the gov. use this to find out what people are doing in their homes? Let's say they decide to make smoking illegal, could they use it to find out if someone is smoking?

The possibilities really are quite endless to be honest, so that's not out of the realms of possibility.

Some of this just leaves me feeling in awe, and so very small in this universe... or multiverse.... we happen to be a teeny tiny part of.

It sure does, it also begs the question, if there are parallel universes then the technology would arise with quantum entanglement to actually communicate with one, as prehaps that's where sub-atomic particles go.

Originally posted by Resentedhalo08

Some of this just leaves me feeling in awe, and so very small in this universe... or multiverse.... we happen to be a teeny tiny part of.

It sure does, it also begs the question, if there are parallel universes then the technology would arise with quantum entanglement to actually communicate with one, as prehaps that's where it goes.

That would be ironic. We spend so much money and effort to contact life on other planets, and the first "extra-terrestrials" we find are in a completely different universe. And I think we all know which discovery would be the more revolutionary.

reply to post by CLPrime


Of course you would be reluctant, because you have no idea what it would be like and the unknown is terrifying to people. Its why people fear death, too.

But everyone who has ever experienced that way (as the collective, the ALL) prefers it by far to experiencing as an individual, and so would you.

Originally posted by CLPrime
This seems to be where we differ. My answer to my own question would be something more along the lines of, "We'd all succumb to epilepsy and slip into comas until we, as a species, die." I don't think the brain would be able to adapt quickly enough to handle such an increase in information.

Ah, but you see, there is intelligence, and then there is sheer force of will-power, and the two don't necessarily go together in a human being! I think someone would do something bold, brave and profound before our entire race died off from being overloaded with information. If only to save ourselves a boring death. Humans can be beautiful like that after all.

Originally posted by CLPrime
That would be ironic. We spend so much money and effort to contact life on other planets, and the first "extra-terrestrials" we find are in a completely different universe. And I think we all know which discovery would be the more revolutionary.

I think it is a possibility to be honest, we are experimenting with quantum computing at the moment and I think we might find that a side effect of that is that the data, which is so mysteriously generated, at tremendous speeds may actually be coming from a parallel universe and back, the possibility is that we might actually end up communicating with ourselves in a parallel universe where we are doing the same thing with a quantum computer, it's not out of the realms of possibility that in the future we will be sending emails etc back and forth between universes and who know's if quantum teleportation and the subsequent transformation of our sub-atomic particles from wave to particle (or is that particle to wave?) is possible then we may even be using the same method to teleport across not only this universe but also parallel one's!

Now that's food for thought!

reply to post by Resentedhalo08


You know, we've gone from a quantum theory of the sense of smell to communicating with parallel universes. I must say, that's impressive. If there's any group of people who could survive the intelligence singularity, I bet it's the folks of ATS.

ok...Smell-O-Vision????

That has to be the STUPIDIST idea humans could come up with...seriously what is the point? to make it more real??
On another note, whats with those smells that when you smell them, smells like the taste of certain things unrelated to the smell??

Originally posted by grindhouzer
On another note, whats with those smells that when you smell them, smells like the taste of certain things??

Taste and smell are closely related senses. If you hold your nose while eating certain foods (like onions), they actually lose a lot of their apparent taste.


I wouldn't want to smell most of the things I see on TV.

Originally posted by CLPrime
reply to post by Resentedhalo08

 

I'd be particularly interested to know of any quantum theory of the brain. Neurons, memory, consciousness... can it, too, be described in terms of QM? If something as seemingly unrelated as smell can have its basis in QM, then, I say, why not?

I think our whole perception of reality is based in QM. All of our senses are based on detecting the particles that make up light and matter.

These particles exist at Quantum levels and seem to adapt to our observation of them.

Originally posted by grindhouzer
ok...Smell-O-Vision????

That has to be the STUPIDIST idea humans could come up with...seriously what is the point? to make it more real??

It's not a stupid idea, there would be a market for it... people will buy anything, besides that was the first thing that came to mind for me and was kind of tongue in cheek.

There are more serious applications of this theory if developed into technologies in the future, it could be broadened to other senses.

Just imagine, being able to create a a polymer that can sense touch, this would enable amputee's to have artificial limbs that would actually feel.

What about using a similar quantum effect (if possible) to enable the blind to see?

Prehaps quantum mechanics will hold the answer to be able to send muscle stimuli, so people in wheelchairs are able to walk.

You could apply this to every sense, and more, the implications for people with various disabilities are quite endless, this is where I can see such technologies being of advantage to people.

Hello
Any new news on the smell-o-vision?