Video produced by XVIVO Scientific Animation for Harvard University's "BioVisions" project, and was featured in the 2006 film The Inner Life of the Cell.  ​

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     Kinesin are not the only subcellular structures that demonstrate complex behaviors.  A google search on any of the organelles inside cells will uncover countless computer generated videos created by scientists that illustrate organelles executing processes that are critical to keep the cell alive.  These videos are intended to be scientifically accurate in what is being depicted, leveraging the most recent scientific evidence collected at the time of video production.  Scientists who create these videos often describe the physics or chemistry underpinning the organelle movements in their research papers, but they routinely fail to explain the "causal driver" behind the behaviors.  Describing the physics or chemistry of molecular interactions is not the same thing as explaining what is initiating and controlling the movements.  Scientists routinely attribute the cause of these behaviors to signals that travel along molecular pathways, but fail to explain where the signals are generated and how they are precisely timed using the theories of physics and chemistry.  This should not come as a surprise because science assumes the base layer of reality is driven by random quantum processes.  It is simply unrealistic to expect any scientist to be able to provide a causal explanation for kinesin behaviors as the result of random quantum processes operating on the tens of thousands of atoms that form a kinesin molecule.

 

     Kinesin are smaller than the wavelength of visible light, meaning they are invisible to traditional microscopes and video imaging equipment.  Everything we have learned about kinesin comes from taking high resolution images using advanced electromagnetic instruments that hit the molecule with a stream photons or electrons that are reflected back to the instrument and captured as electromagnetic data used to deduce the fine structure and movements of the molecule.  Kinesin exist at the molecular scale where quantum theory has been shown to apply, yet the randomness assumptions underpinning theory is inconsistent with the apparent goal-directed behaviors demonstrated by kinesin.  FMT gets around this obstacle by replacing the randomness assumption that sits at the core of quantum theory with an assumption consistent with the apparent goal-directed behavior of kinesin, specifically that mind functions as an observer in quantum theory.​

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​Replacing the Quantum Randomness Assumption with Mind as an Observer

 

     The central mystery in quantum physics is called the “observer problem.”  The observer problem involves explaining why quantum scale matter behaves differently when being observed versus not being observed, or when being measured versus not being measured.  In standard quantum mechanics, 'observation' is synonymous with measurement, and refers to any physical interaction that captures precise information about a quantum state.  However, this leaves open a deep question: what fundamentally constitutes an observation/measurement, and where does the boundary lie between the quantum and classical worlds? 

     It is the act of observation/measurement of a quantum system that physicists view as “collapsing the wave function” of the system, resulting in one of many possible outcomes to manifest into a single definite classical result.  Once an observation/measurement occurs, the wave equations that describe the quantum system no longer represent the current state of the system, thus the relevance of the equations “collapse” into oblivion.  That matter behaves in this manner when being observed/measured is not mere speculation, it is a hard scientific fact backed up by a century of experiments.  Quantum physics has demonstrated that observation/measurement of quantum scale matter influences the behavior of the matter being observed/measured.

 

     Many quantum mysteries such as the famous double slit experiment, delayed choice experiment, and the collapse of the wave function all have the observer problem at their core.  Numerous quantum paradoxes such as Schrodinger’s Cat, Wigner’s Friend, and the Frauchiger-Renner paradox are all also deeply rooted in the observer problem.  The central theme that connects most if not all of the quantum mysteries and paradoxes is the fact that quantum theory does not explicitly incorporate observation or measurement into its formalisms.  In fact, quantum theory lacks definitions for what constitutes an observer, an observation, a measurement device, and even what counts as a measurement.  Quantum theory lacks definitions for the key terms involved in its central mystery, which not surprisingly leads to paradoxes that cannot be resolved related to these terms.  
 

     The observer problem is also the only place in the entirety of physics that even hints at a possible connection between mind and matter, where the simple act of observation influences the behavior of matter.  This is not to say that observation "requires" a conscious mind to collapse wave functions, but the lack of definition for an observer in quantum theory leaves room for this possibility.  Many great physicists expressed views similar to this including Erwin Schrödinger, John von Neumann, Arthur Eddington, Wolfgang Pauli, Werner Heisenberg, Max Planck, Louie de Broglie, Arthur Compton, Freeman Dyson, Henry Stapp, Bernard d'Espagnat, and a number of esteemed contemporary physicists pursuing quantum and/or information theories of consciousness that do not require a brain.  Quantum theory is consistent with the hypothesis that mind may be able to influence the behavior of matter.

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    FMT proposes that the causal agency missing from quantum theory is mind itself — not as a passive observer watching matter from outside, but as a fundamental aspect of matter structures that actively influence the behavior of their constituent particles from the inside.  The collective mind of a matter structure can influence the behavior of the constituents of its physical structure from the human scale to the quantum scale.  The human mind can control the behavior of the cells that form the human body, a cellular mind can control the behavior of the molecules that form its cellular body, a molecular mind of a kinesin can control the behavior of the subatomic particles that form its molecular body, and a proton's subatomic particle mind can control the behavior of its quark-gluon body.

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     FMT takes the position that mind — as a fundamental aspect of matter at the quantum scale — is the ultimate source of the causal agency that quantum theory is missing.   This is not a mainstream interpretation, but it is a coherent and internally consistent hypothesis that has been shared by a minority of highly respected physicists throughout the 100 year history of quantum theory.  FMT asserts that the 'observer' in quantum mechanics is ultimately grounded in the minded nature of matter rather than a function of random physical interactions that remain completely undefined in quantum theory.  The central FMT hypothesis is that mind operates as an observer in quantum theory, which provides a scientific framework for quantum scale mind to influence the behavior of quantum scale matter. 

 

     Both solutions to the combination problem discussed previously leveraged the scientific fact that the fundamental forces of nature combine, conserve, and power all matter interactions from elementary particles to humans.  We also speculated that mind as a fundamental property or elementary particle would also be combined, conserved, and powered by the same forces.  Electromagnetic theory states that the charged protons and electrons that hold matter structures together would naturally form an integrated and unified electromagnetic field that surrounds and pervades each matter structure.  FMT asserts that it is through this integrated and unified electromagnetic field that the combined mind of a matter structure exerts agency over its physical components, meaning the combined mind of a kinesin exerts agency over the subatomic particles and atoms that form its physical structure via the tiny electromagnetic field that surrounds and pervades a kinesin molecule. 

 

     Literally every sensory input that you experience, every bodily movement that you make, every thought that you have, every cellular and molecular process occurring within your body is facilitated by the electromagnetic field that surrounds and pervades your body.  This statement is not an assumption made by FMT, it is completely consistent with everything modern science has learned about biology and physics.  The only aspect of FMT that lies beyond modern science is the hypothesis that mind is a fundamental aspect of nature.  The other unique aspects of FMT, such as asserting that rudimentary minds combine to form more complex minds and that minds can influence the behavior of matter, sit on a firm scientific foundation as implications of the FMT assumption that mind is fundamental.

 

​​Quantum Theory Models the Degrees of Freedom of the Mind of a Quantum System

 

     FMT views quantum wave equations as representing our knowledge of the state of a quantum system between measurements or observations.  Wave function collapse represents an update to our knowledge of the specific properties of the system when a measurement or observation occurs, whereby the equations that previously described the system are rendered moot.  Between measurements or observations the specific properties of a quantum system are unknowable because the collection of quantum waves being modeled are spread out over a region of space.  If we apply this view to the famous Schrödinger's cat paradox, the cat is never alive "and" dead at the same time, it is always either alive "or" dead.  It is Schrödinger's knowledge of the state of his cat that exists in a superposition of possible states since he has not updated his knowledge of the state of his cat since he placed it in the box and put the lid on.  He updates his knowledge by opening the box and looking inside, where hopefully he learns that his cat is still alive!   This epistemic interpretation of quantum superposition is one of several legitimate interpretations in the physics community, and has the advantage of avoiding paradoxes that arise from taking superposition as a literal description of reality.​​

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​     Defining mind as an observer that can influence the behavior of matter structures is the FMT hypothesis for how kinesin minds can control their physical structures in order to pickup materials, walk on microtubules, navigate the network of microtubules to deliver its payload, and take evasive actions to avoid collisions.  Kinesin have molecular scale minds that can control their molecular scale bodies by influencing the movement of the atoms and subatomic particles that make up its physical structure.  Viewed through the FMT lens, quantum wave equations can be reinterpreted as representing the "degrees of freedom" available to the mind of a quantum system to influence the movements of its physical structure — rather than the probability distribution of random outcomes as conventionally interpreted. 

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   Mind influencing the behavior of its matter structure provides the missing causal ingredient to explain the complex causal behaviors of molecules inside cells such as kinesin.  The physics that specifically describes how mind can influence matter remain unknown, but the basic fact that mind can influence matter is supported by an abundance of scientific evidence at the quantum scale, and at the scale of humans as we see in the next section.

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Human Scale Evidence that Mind Can Influence the Behavior of Matter

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    The placebo effect demonstrates that fake drugs and fake treatments can positively impact the healing ability of the human body at the cellular scale.  Fake drugs (placebos) have been found to positively impact a patient's condition even though the patient received a sugar pill or other non-medical substance that should have no impact on the patient's condition. Placebos are the gold standard control group in all drug and medical treatment testing worldwide, a scientifically validated fact that sits at the core of the $1.7 trillion global pharmaceutical industry.  There is no scientific explanation for how or why placebos work, but that doesn't change the fact that what a human believes in their mind can affect the ability of their body to heal at the cellular level.  Let's dig into the placebo effect in a bit more detail.

 

     One patient group is given a fake pill but believe they are receiving a new drug developed to treat their condition.  Another patient group is given the new drug being tested.  Somehow both patient groups experience improvement in their conditions, a phenomena called the placebo effect.  This effect demonstrates that what our minds believes can influence the ability of our cells to heal our bodies.  Colored pills produce stronger placebo effects than white pills.  Red, yellow, and orange placebo pills produce a stimulant effect while blue and green placebo pills produce a tranquilizing effect.  Larger placebo pills produce a greater effect than smaller pills, two pills produce a greater effect than a single pill, placebo injections produce a greater effect than pills, and so on.

 

     Neither patient nor doctor knows which patients are getting the real drug versus the placebo in modern drug trials.  This is called the "double blind protocol" which was developed because it was discovered that the strength of the placebo effect was impacted if the drug trial administrator knew which patient received the drug versus placebo.  Think about that, if a doctor knowingly gives you a placebo but you think it's a new drug, the odds are that you will have a lesser placebo effect than if the doctor had no knowledge of whether it was a placebo.  The double blind protocol was developed to prevent drug trial administrators from inadvertently affecting the efficacy of the placebo effect on the patient's body, whether through subtle unconscious behavioral cues, differences in communication style, or by some other mechanism.

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     The placebo effect is estimated to account for 30% to 60% of the benefit of the average drug, yet there is no scientific theory explaining how the placebo effect works.  Nor is there much research activity trying to understand the placebo effect nor the need for the double blind protocol.  This may be due to pharmaceutical industry research programs being focused on developing new drugs to sell to patients, while a better understanding of how to benefit from the placebo reflect would likely lead to lower drug sales.  The bottom line is that the placebo effect lies at the core of one of the largest, most scientifically advanced, and most profitable industries on earth, and demonstrates the scientific fact that human minds can influence matter at the cellular scale.  The most striking thing about this fact is that there is no scientific explanation for the placebo and little-to-no effort by the scientific community to pursue a research agenda to try to understand it.  The FMT hypothesis that mind can influence the behavior of matter at all scales provides an explanation for the placebo effect that is consistent with the scientific evidence from the quantum scale to the human scale.​

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Conclusion​​

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     The observer effect is supported by a massive body of scientific evidence demonstrating that simply observing quantum scale matter influences the behavior of that matter.  Since “Mind equals Observer” in FMT, quantum scale mind can influence the behavior of quantum scale matter, molecular scale mind can influence the behavior of molecular scale matter, cellular scale mind can influence the behavior of cellular scale matter, and your human mind can influence the behavior of your human body.  Returning to our molecular mind example, watch the video above one more time and consider whether the kinesin appears to be controlling its body.  Now consider whether the kinesin's ability to control its body is more likely to be driven by trillions of random quantum processes that somehow result in its coordinated and seemingly intelligent behavior, or whether the kinesin may have a rudimentary form of intelligence and is taking actions in pursuit of a goal.  Kinesin control their atomic structures to enable walking, navigation, changing lanes to avoid a collision, and so forth.  The mind of a kinesin is the causal agent driving its behaviors as it performs its duties in support of the continued survival of its cellular ecosystem.  The amazing set of skills demonstrated by kinesin can best be explained by assuming that kinesin have minds that control their atomic scale bodies, similar to how our human minds control our massively more complex multicellular bodies. 

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     Placebo testing provides a massive body of hard scientific evidence that proves our minds can influence our bodies at the cellular scale.  Our human minds can influence the behavior of matter at the scale of our bodies and our cells, as well as in quantum scale experiments performed in labs.  Mind can influence the behavior of matter at all scales.  The collective mind of any given matter structure can influence the behavior of its constituent atoms, molecules, and/or cells via the electromagnetic field that surrounds and pervades the matter structure.  The complex and seemingly intelligent behavior of the billions of molecules inside every cell is impossible to explain via octillions of random quantum processes that are not in pursuit of any goal whatsoever.  Unless and until a scientific theory is developed that explains how these complex behaviors are being controlled and orchestrated, the most logical hypothesis that explains the evidence is that molecules have cognition and agency indicative of a molecular scale mind.  The rapidly increasing evidence of highly complex and precisely coordinated molecular activity inside cells is evidence that molecules are intelligent, have awareness of their surroundings, communicate and coordinate their actions with other molecules to keep their shared cellular ecosystem functioning properly.   FMT concludes that molecules have minds.

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     The indeterminism demonstrated by quantum physics leaves open the possibility that minds — as a fundamental aspect of matter — can play a causal role in the behavior of physical systems.  FMT proposes that this is the missing causal ingredient to explain why humans are more than just biological robots behaving according to deterministic laws.  It is often assumed that quantum physics has always supported a materialist worldview, yet the founders of quantum theory — Planck, Schrödinger, Heisenberg, Bohr, and Pauli among others — largely rejected materialism and argued that consciousness cannot be excluded from a complete description of physical reality at the quantum scale.  FMT's position is closer to the founders' original views than to the materialist consensus that developed later.  Our minds, from the quantum to the human scale, actively participate in controlling the behavior of our physical structures, similar to physicist John Wheeler's view that we live in a "participatory universe".

 

     The cognitive agency of mind in FMT is enabled by the unique properties of the quantum substrate, which appears to be perfectly suited for mind to exert agency over matter, a topic that will be discussed in more detail in a future section that is under development.