Chapter 1: The Enigmatic Question of Afterlife

For ages, the concept of an afterlife has captivated human thought, from the beliefs of ancient Egyptians to modern literature. In recent years, this topic has captured the interest of contemporary physicists, yet consensus remains elusive.

Renowned scientist Aaron Freeman, in his work "Eulogy from a Physicist," famously stated, “According to the law of conservation of energy, not a bit of you is gone; you’re just less orderly.” Regardless of personal beliefs about his perspective, Freeman raises an important point. We are composed of measurable chemical and electrical energy, including the rapid synaptic transmissions that enable thought and emotion.

Many theorize that even after these processes cease, the totality of our memories, feelings, and elusive consciousness must transition somewhere. If we accept the law of conservation as truth, what becomes of consciousness when our physical bodies can no longer sustain it?

In 2013, Freeman drew parallels between human existence and particle physics, suggesting that individuals in search of love resemble quarks, drawn together by powerful forces. This notion ignited significant debate among scientists, including Sean Carroll, a Cosmologist and Physics Professor at CALTECH. Carroll contends that for an afterlife to exist, consciousness must exist independently of the physical body. He argues that there has been no empirical evidence to support this assertion.

Carroll posits that consciousness, at its core, is a formation of atoms and electrons that constitute our minds. He claims the laws of the universe inhibit them from functioning post-mortem. He states, “Claims that some form of consciousness persists after our bodies die and decay into their constituent atoms face one huge, insuperable obstacle: the laws of physics underlying everyday life are completely understood, and there’s no way within those laws to allow for the information stored in our brains to persist after we die.”

To substantiate his argument, Carroll refers to Quantum Field Theory (QFT), which suggests that each particle type exists within its respective field. For instance, a photon cannot occupy the same field as an electron or a muon. He argues that if any form of life existed after death, experiments in quantum fields would have revealed what he terms ‘Spirit Particles’ and ‘Spirit Forces.’

In an article for Scientific American, Carroll elaborates, “If it’s really nothing but atoms and the known forces, there is clearly no way for the soul to survive death. Believing in life after death, to put it mildly, requires physics beyond the standard model.” He emphasizes the need for a mechanism through which any new physics could interact with known atoms, asserting that within QFT, no new ‘Spirit Particles’ or ‘Spirit Forces’ could exist without prior detection in experiments.

He concludes, “Once this is accepted by all scientists, then they can truly begin to understand how the human mind operates.” This perspective raises eyebrows, as it seems rather presumptuous, especially since his argument is grounded in unverified quantum theories that have yet to align with classical physics in a Grand Unified Theory. The absence of evidence does not inherently negate the existence of those forces; it may simply indicate that current research tools lack the sensitivity to detect them.

Imagine if someone had confidently dismissed the existence of gluons and muons during Newton’s era; such a claim would have seemed absurd. It is crucial for scientists to avoid sweeping declarations when so many mysteries in this fascinating domain remain unresolved.

Anecdotal accounts of Near Death Experiences (NDEs) have arguably tarnished the credibility of this field, as many experiences can be rationally explained by biological processes that occur during death. At the Big Think Conference in 2017, speakers discussed how NDEs might result from neurological changes due to reduced blood flow and abnormal brain activity, often leading to the 'tunnel of light' phenomenon.

Dr. Sam Parnia, Director of Critical Care and Resuscitation Research at NYU Langone School of Medicine, noted that the cerebral cortex might remain active for up to twenty seconds following cardiac arrest. During this time, neural pathways could be influenced by a surge of stress hormones released during the dying process.

In a different study published by the Royal Society's Open Biology, researchers analyzed gene expression in deceased mice and zebrafish, discovering over a thousand genes that became more active post-mortem, with some activity persisting for as long as four days. Professor Peter Noble from Washington University remarked, “Can you imagine, 24 hours after [time of death] you take a sample and the transcripts of the genes are actually increasing in abundance? That was a surprise.”

These active genes were primarily associated with stress responses, immunity, and developmental processes. Noble and his team propose that the body undergoes a gradual shutdown after death.

While this study is intriguing, one must ponder the evolutionary significance of such extended biological processes. If no afterlife exists, why would certain biological functions continue long after the body ceases to live? It suggests a lingering attachment of our minds to the physical form, hinting at the possibility of consciousness existing outside the body, contrary to Professor Carroll's assertions.

Chapter 2: The Resilience of Consciousness

In September 2017, Current Biology published research by Angela Sirigu from the Institut des Sciences Cognitives, detailing a case where a thirty-five-year-old man in a fifteen-year vegetative state was stimulated via the vagus nerve. Along with Marc Jeannerod, they applied electrical stimulation over several weeks, gradually reviving the patient, despite the belief that his consciousness was beyond recovery.

The vagus nerve, which extends from the brainstem to the gut, connects numerous vital organs. Its activation triggers the noradrenergic pathway, potentially leading to heightened alertness, sometimes evoking fight-or-flight responses.

The unexpected revival of the patient, who could follow movements in the room after just a few sessions, suggests that consciousness may be more resilient than some physicists propose. The research team is now conducting more extensive tests to further explore these theories.

If consciousness indeed exists beyond our physical form, various theories attempt to explain its potential location. Professor Sir Roger Penrose and Dr. Stuart Hameroff propose that consciousness could arise from quantum gravity effects within microtubules in our cells. If validated, their hypothesis could bridge quantum mechanics and classical physics, shedding light on how our synapses store memories and experiences that define us. If this information has measurable mass, what happens to it upon death?

The late Professor Michael Persinger from Laurentian University presented a provocative theory based on the mathematical analysis of brain activity. He suggested that the accumulation of memories, thoughts, and emotions throughout life vibrates at the same frequency as the Earth's Schumann resonance, around 7.83Hz, harmonizing with the atmosphere's ionosphere.

His hypothesis posits that the ionosphere, filled with charged particles, might serve as a vast data repository, akin to how magnetic tape stores audio tracks. While this idea is certainly imaginative, current technology cannot verify or refute it.

Regardless of where you stand on this topic, I urge you to maintain an open perspective. Dismissing the possibility of an afterlife could lead to existential despair for many, discouraging scientists from enhancing the sensitivity of their instruments to seek out those elusive particles.

Until we can definitively determine the location of consciousness and where energy transitions after death, the enigma of Schrödinger's soul remains a beacon of hope.

The first video, "The 'afterlife' according to Einstein's special relativity," features Sabine Hossenfelder discussing the intersection of physics and the afterlife, exploring Einstein's theories and their implications.

The second video, "Quantum Theory Proves That You Never Die!" delves into quantum theory's perspective on consciousness, suggesting intriguing possibilities about life beyond physical existence.