A paper by Choi BS, published in the peer-reviewed journal BioSystems in 2026, reports a feasibility analysis of the surface code model as it applies to the microtubule mechanism proposed by Orchestrated Objective Reduction (Orch-OR) theory. Orch-OR holds that consciousness arises from quantum processes occurring inside neuronal microtubules, and the surface code is a framework for quantum error correction that would need to function there for the theory's computational claims to hold.
Beyond that framing, the specific findings, methods, sample sizes, controls, and analytic approach cannot be reported here, because no abstract was available for review. No claims from the paper can be accurately summarized, and no conclusions can be attributed to the authors without that information.
The study design is therefore not determinable from this read. Without access to the methods and results, it is impossible to assess whether the analysis supports or undermines the feasibility of the surface code in this biological context, or how confidently any conclusion was drawn.
The paper bears on a long-running question in consciousness studies: whether the physical conditions inside microtubules could sustain the quantum coherence and error correction that Orch-OR requires. That question remains open here, and readers interested in the findings should consult the full text directly.
Source: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biosystems.2026.105734