That proves nothing! The paramecium is not a brained organism. It is not capable of long term memory to begin with. It's obvious you have not watched Hameroff and where long term microtubular memory storage in brained organisms occurs.
Beside the point.
Disrupting microtubules had no effect.
That is the point.
It's obvious you have not watched Hameroff and where long term microtubular memory storage in brained organisms occurs.
I read his claims. All of which are essentially based on his beliefs. He has yet to actually prove anything with viable studies and show actual results.
This study showed actual results.
Not all microtubules are capable of long term storage. The ones that are, are pyramidal structures located in the brain of brained organisms. The paramecium does not have a brain and does not have the pyramidal structures . It's memory is short term sensory chemical or mechanical kinetic responses, which is a product of touch by cilia, which are controlled and powered by microtubules.
What happens to cancer patients, brain cancer patients who are given large doses of inhibitors? Do they become vegetables? Are they still conscious after their treatment?
As a child of a parent who endured horrific treatment for a primary brain lymphoma, I can assure you, my mother was still conscious and her memory loss was not from the treatment, but from the apple sized tumour that had invaded the middle of her brain. She was treated with high doses of inhibitors and disruptors for over 6 months.
Let me remind you of something you said earlier:
The Paramecium, a "single celled" collection of biochemicals propels itself by means of a chemical "motor" (an array of microtubules), and can learn to avoid obstacles, by (short-term) "memorizing" physical and kinetic forces.
Microtubules only live for a few seconds to a few hours at most... They are, by definition if one would attribute memory or learning processes to them, short term. You made a claim about paramecium's which you now seem to be trying to walk back in a manner of sorts.. The study found that disrupting microtubules, the very ones you said can and I quote "propels itself by means of a chemical "motor" (an array of microtubules), and can learn to avoid obstacles, by (short-term) "memorizing" physical and kinetic forces" have absolutely no affect on the paramecium learning or "memorizing" or retaining any information.. If microtubules were involved in information processing and something like consciousness, then any disruption would affect the ability to retain information or learn at the very least. They found that it had no affect.
Whether it is a single celled collection of biochemicals or not, is actually beside the point.
And that is what you are now dodging so vapidly by trying to change the subject to paramecium's.
Disrupting the microtubules in paramecium's had no affect in their ability to retain information or learn and this has direct implications to your claims about microtubules and your claims that consciousness resides in microtubules..
