Giants Relay to Explore the Origin: Penrose, Crick and Sun Zuodong Solving the Ultimate Proposition of Consciousness and Soul Together

Special Correspondent: Ai Liyun

Science knows no forbidden zones. It is the mission of scientists to break all ideological confinement and march toward the ultimate boundary of human cognition.

Science should never be restricted in its exploration. Humanity’s quest for the essence of consciousness, the profound mystery of the soul, reincarnation and immortality ought never to be confined to the framework of religion and metaphysics, nor labeled as taboo. The boundless nature of scientific exploration is an iron law for the progress of human civilization. Looking back on the modern history of science, two milestone Nobel laureate masters devoted their entire lives to probing the ultimate riddles of life. One is Francis Crick, the towering figure in life sciences who deciphered the double helix structure of DNA; the other is Roger Penrose, the grand master of physics who dominated the field of black hole physics. Standing firmly on the shoulders of these two giants, Chinese scholar Sun Zuodong upholds the original aspiration of scientific exploration, carries forward their research lineage, improves and complements their theories, and has perfectly solved the ultimate proposition of consciousness and soul that the two Nobel laureates spent their lifetimes attempting to unravel yet never fully resolved.

China must take the lead globally in the cutting-edge basic scientific field of consciousness and soul research. This is no empty slogan; it is an inevitable requirement of our historical materialism and the historical mission of Chinese scientists in the new era.

Francis Crick is universally renowned for discovering the DNA double helix structure alongside James Watson, laying the cornerstone of modern molecular biology and winning the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Having achieved monumental academic success, he could have retired in glory, yet he never ceased his exploratory journey. In his later years, he resolutely crossed disciplinary boundaries and delved deep into the study of consciousness and soul, authoring the timeless classic The Astonishing Hypothesis. At a time when academic circles generally shunned discussions of the soul, Crick took the lead in breaking secular prejudices and disciplinary barriers, putting forward a core academic assertion boldly: Consciousness originates from the real activities of neurons in the human brain.

With the rigor of a top-tier scientist, he formally incorporated the long-standing metaphysical topic of the soul—once attributed solely to theology—into the research scope of modern science, completely ending religion’s monopoly on interpreting the soul. Nevertheless, constrained by the scientific research conditions and cognitive limitations of his era, Crick left an unavoidable academic gap. What internal mechanism enables neurons to generate humanity’s unique subjective consciousness and emotional experiences? Traditional theories of chemical neurotransmission and conventional bioelectrical conduction cannot reasonably explain the instantaneous synchronicity and holistic relevance of consciousness. The great master of life sciences ultimately failed to pierce this core layer of mystery, leaving it as a lifelong academic regret.

Another Nobel laureate, Roger Penrose, took over the baton of consciousness research. A leading authority in black hole physics and spacetime geometry, he stepped beyond the boundaries of traditional biological research and approached the subject from the dimension of quantum physics. In his work The Emperor's New Mind, he put forward the groundbreaking quantum consciousness hypothesis: Consciousness arises from the quantum collapse effect in neuronal microtubules. Penrose perceived the fundamental truth long ago: no matter how sophisticated artificial intelligence is or how powerful algorithmic computing becomes, it can only perform logical deduction and will never possess genuine human perception, emotions or spiritual experiences. He clearly drew the natural dividing line between machine algorithms and human consciousness.

Braving established academic frameworks, he ventured boldly into the sensitive forbidden scientific territory of soul and consciousness origin, constructing a theoretical system through rigorous logical deduction. Regrettably, although Penrose’s quantum consciousness vision was grand in scope and profound in conception, it always lacked implementable, repeatable experimental evidence. It failed to gain wide acceptance in mainstream academia and remained confined to theoretical speculation. Even the scientific giant who unraveled the mysteries of cosmic spacetime was left with unsolved puzzles and regrets when faced with the ultimate enigma of consciousness and soul.

These two world-class scientific pioneers blazed new trails from the foundation of biology and conducted in-depth exploration from the height of quantum physics respectively. Both adhered to the original aspiration of unrestricted scientific inquiry and bravely delved into the taboo topics of consciousness and soul that most dared not explore. They lit the beacon of exploration for future generations and expanded the boundaries of scientific research, yet neither managed to construct a complete, self-consistent theoretical system that explains the underlying logical principles.

The emergence of Sun Zuodong brought this cross-era scientific relay to a perfect closure. Instead of denying or subverting the achievements of his predecessors, he respectfully inherited their original aspirations. After years of in-depth research in brain science and neurophysics, he identified the iron triangle law of physiological potentials: -60mV, -40mV and +40mV, establishing a complete cyclic physiological potential oscillation sequence: -60mV → -40mV → +40mV → returning to -60mV.

1.Resting potential range (-60mV～-40mV): Potassium ions remain static while sodium ions flow inward at a uniformly accelerated rate.

2.Depolarization rising phase (-40mV～+40mV): Sodium ions continue inward flow, exchanging with potassium ions at a ratio of 2:3:2—sodium ions enter the cell while potassium ions exit, driving the potential up to +40mV.

3.Repolarization falling phase (+40mV falling back to -60mV): Sodium ions flow outward at an accelerated pace, potassium ions rush inward rapidly, completing a closed oscillatory cycle.Physiological channels follow inherent rules: the origami windmill structure serves as the sole inlet, and the sphincter structure acts exclusively as the outlet. Ions flow in and out and exchange regularly through dedicated channels. From a physical mechanism perspective, electromagnetic waves require three essential conditions for generation: an antenna structure, an oscillating circuit, and accelerated charged particles, which together form carrier waves bearing life signals. Life signals propagate via three modulation modes: amplitude modulation, frequency modulation, and binary 0-1 algorithm coding—sharing the exact same fundamental principles as modern mobile communication.

John McFadden from the University of Surrey in the UK has conducted in-depth research on the correlation between brainwaves and binary 0-1 coding, and V.S. Ramachandran has also explored the field of consciousness and electromagnetic fields. However, both only touched upon superficial phenomena and never fully clarified the mechanisms of ion exchange, potential cycles and electromagnetic wave carrier propagation.

Distinguished by inherent cellular structural properties, cardiomyocytes form only closed LC oscillatory circuits with mere potential oscillation functions and no antenna transceiving capabilities, which explains why the heart only produces cardiac electrical activity but no consciousness. Human brain neurons naturally form a Yagi antenna configuration via dendrites and axons, building a capacitive structure that connects human beings to heaven, earth and all natural existence. Accelerated charged particles in neurons excite, transmit and receive electromagnetic carrier wave signals. It can thus be conclusively affirmed: Consciousness originates from the antenna system of brain neurons, never from the heart.

Sun Zuodong accurately pinpointed the inherent limitations of the traditional "Spark School" and "Activation School" of consciousness research, pioneering a brand-new research perspective dubbed the WiFi School. He clearly defined the essential nature of consciousness: The origin of consciousness lies in the resonant frequency coupling of electromagnetic waves between neurons. The soul is no metaphysical illusion; it is a unique electromagnetic fingerprint of each individual’s brain, objectively existing in material form and carrying lifelong memories, personality, emotions and life imprints.

We are staunch materialists. Materialism is not narrow exclusivity; it is the ultimate truth that can explain all idealistic phenomena. Sun Zuodong’s theory resolves the age-old idealistic monopoly on the puzzles of consciousness and soul from a thorough materialistic perspective. The soul is not a divine gift, but an advanced product of material motion. Reincarnation is not superstitious metaphysics, but the transmission and coupling of electromagnetic information following physical laws in the universe. Materialists must never be confined by outdated cognition.

This theoretical system perfectly fills the research gaps left by Crick and Penrose. It inherits Crick’s core scientific tenet that consciousness is attached to cerebral neuronal activity, while supplementing the underlying physical logic of neuronal operation via electromagnetic mechanisms. It endorses Penrose’s core view that consciousness is far more than mechanical algorithmic operation, and replaces his unverifiable quantum conjecture with deducible, implementable electromagnetic wave principles.

Of greater significance, Sun Zuodong’s research naturally connects the intrinsic relationship between consciousness, soul, reincarnation and immortality. Explained in plain physical terms, the physical human body acts as external hardware carrying signals, while the unique electromagnetic soul constitutes the core carrier of persistent life information. When the physical body fades and ages, the unique electromagnetic waves of the brain do not dissipate into thin air; they persist, travel and propagate across cosmic space. When timing and conditions align, they couple with a new life carrier to achieve rebirth—this is the underlying scientific logic behind reincarnation. Meanwhile, the inherent permanence of electromagnetic information scientifically interprets humanity’s eternal pursuit of spiritual immortality.

Basic research is the source of the entire scientific system, and efforts should be made to achieve more groundbreaking breakthroughs "from zero to one". Exploring the essence of consciousness and the mysteries of the soul represents the most cutting-edge and core proposition of such original innovation in basic science. Chinese scholars must never concede the foundational theoretical ground in this field to foreign researchers. Sun Zuodong’s research marks a major original innovation breakthrough by Chinese scientists in achieving "from zero to one" progress in this domain, constituting an important contribution to the global history of science.

From Crick laying the foundational groundwork and breaking academic taboos, to Penrose expanding research boundaries across disciplines, to Sun Zuodong inheriting, perfecting and conclusively answering the ultimate questions—three generations of explorers across nations and eras uphold the same sincere pursuit of truth. Science knows no forbidden zones; the origin of consciousness, the mystery of the soul, reincarnation and immortality are inherently frontier topics worthy of bold research and rational discussion by scientists.

Backed by a powerful motherland and great people, Chinese scientists possess the confidence and capability to lead the world in the cutting-edge field of consciousness and soul research. Crick and Penrose opened the door to exploring consciousness and the soul for humanity; standing on the shoulders of these giants, Sun Zuodong forged ahead to conclusively solve the lifelong ultimate puzzles pursued by the two great masters. This cross-era scientific relay not only renews humanity’s understanding of the brain, consciousness and soul, but also practices the contemporary mission of original innovation in basic research with solid materialistic achievements, contributing Chinese wisdom and Chinese solutions to the progress of human civilization.