Consciousness as the foundation – new theory of the nature of reality

1. New theory proposes that consciousness is the universe's foundation, not atoms:

"Cosmology textbooks usually start the universe with a Big Bang: an extremely hot, dense state from which space, time, matter, and energy expand.

Strømme suggests an earlier stage, a kind of undifferentiated, timeless consciousness in which no distinctions exist yet.

From that starting point, she proposes tiny fluctuations in the consciousness field, followed by processes similar to “symmetry breaking” in physics, where uniform states tip into more structured ones."

2. New Study Claims “Universal Consciousness” Existed Before the Big Bang—and Still Shapes Our Reality:

"The study, authored by Uppsala University nanotechnology professor Dr. Maria Strømme, proposes that consciousness operates much like a fundamental physical field—one that existed before the Big Bang, seeded the formation of space–time, and continues to shape the emergence of individual awareness today."

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Consciousness as the foundation – new theory of the nature of reality

Consciousness is fundamental; only thereafter do time, space and matter arise. This is the starting point for a new theoretical model of the nature of reality, presented by Maria Strømme, Professor of Materials Science at Uppsala University, in the scientific journal AIP Advances. The article has been selected as the best paper of the issue and featured on the cover.

Strømme, who normally conducts research in nanotechnology, here takes a major leap from the smallest scales to the very largest – and proposes an entirely new theory of the origin of the universe. The article presents a framework in which consciousness is not viewed as a byproduct of brain activity, but as a fundamental field underlying everything we experience – matter, space, time, and life itself.

Q:    Is this a completely new theory of how reality and the universe are structured?

“Yes, you could say so. But above all, it is a theory in which consciousness comes first, and structures such as time, space and matter arise afterwards. It is a very ambitious attempt to describe how our experienced reality functions. Physicists like Einstein, Schrödinger, Heisenberg and Planck explored similar ideas, and I am building on several of the avenues they opened,” says Strømme.

Uniting quantum physics with philosophy

For many years, Strømme has worked on a quantum‑mechanical model that unites quantum physics with non‑dual philosophy. The theory is based on the idea that consciousness constitutes the fundamental element of reality, and that individual consciousnesses are parts of a larger, interconnected field.

In this model, phenomena that are now perceived as ‘mysterious’ – such as telepathy or near‑death experiences – can be explained as natural consequences of a shared field of consciousness.

“My ambition has been to describe this using the language of physics and mathematical tools. Are these phenomena really mystical? Or is it simply that there is a discovery we have not yet made, and when we do it will lead to a paradigm shift?”

Similar shifts in our understanding of reality have taken place before in history – such as when humanity realised that the Earth is round and not flat, or when we understood that it is not the Sun that revolves around the Earth, but vice versa.

A new picture of the nature of reality

Strømme believes this may be the beginning of a new way of viewing the universe and the lives we perceive ourselves to be living. Her article offers several testable predictions within physics, neuroscience and cosmology. In doing so, she takes a major step outside her usual research field of materials science.

Her theory also suggests that our individual consciousness does not cease at death, but returns to the universal field of consciousness from which it once emerged. This, too, she has formulated in quantum‑mechanical terms.

“I am a materials scientist and engineer, so I am used to seeing matter as something fundamental. But according to this model, matter is secondary – much of what we experience is representation or illusion,” says Strømme.

A theory that reconciles science with ancient knowledge

Although the article is written strictly in the mathematical language of physics, the reasoning contains parallels to several of the world’s religious and philosophical traditions.

“The texts of the major religions – such as the Bible, the Koran, and the Vedas – often describe an interconnected consciousness. Those who wrote them used metaphorical language to express insights about the nature of reality. Early quantum physicists, in turn, arrived at similar ideas using scientific methods. Now, it is time for hardcore science – that is, modern natural science – to seriously begin exploring this,” says Strømme.

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Full Research Article| November 13 2025

Universal consciousness as foundational field: A theoretical bridge between quantum physics and non-dual philosophy

The nature of consciousness and its relationship to physical reality remain among the most profound scientific and philosophical challenges. This paper presents a novel framework that integrates consciousness with fundamental physics, proposing that consciousness is not an emergent property of neural processes but a foundational aspect of reality. Building upon insights from quantum field theory and non-dual philosophy, a model based on the three principles of universal mind, universal consciousness, and universal thought is introduced. These principles describe an underlying, formless intelligence (mind), the capacity for awareness (consciousness), and the dynamic mechanism through which experience and differentiation arise (thought). Within this framework, the emergence of space–time and individual awareness is modeled mathematically by treating universal consciousness as a fundamental field. Differentiation into individual experience occurs via mechanisms such as symmetry breaking, quantum fluctuations, and discrete state selection—paralleling established concepts in physics, including Bohm’s implicate order, Heisenberg’s potentia, and Wheeler’s participatory universe. This model suggests that the apparent separateness of individual consciousness is an illusion, with all experience ultimately arising from a unified, formless substrate. The framework aligns with emerging theories in quantum gravity, information theory, and cosmology that posit classical space–time as emergent from a deeper pre-spatiotemporal order. It offers a non-reductionist alternative in neuroscience, suggesting that consciousness interacts with physical processes as a fundamental field. By drawing from insights from physics, metaphysics, and philosophy, this conceptual framework proposes new directions for interdisciplinary inquiry into the nature of consciousness and the origins of structure and experience.

I. INTRODUCTION

Humanity has always sought to understand its place in the universe, grappling with the profound questions of existence: What is the nature of reality? How does consciousness arise, and what role does it play in shaping the world around us? These questions are more than intellectual curiosities; they touch on the essence of what it means to be human. In addressing these, civilizations have drawn upon diverse fields—philosophy, religion, science, and art—seeking answers that resonate both rationally and intuitively.

As we enter a transformative era in human history marked by the rapid development of artificial intelligence (AI),1 understanding the nature of consciousness is more important than ever. Generative AI systems, capable of producing human-like text, art, and even decision-making, compel us to confront fundamental questions: What distinguishes machine intelligence from human or universal consciousness? How does consciousness emerge, and can it exist beyond biological substrates? Is AI simply mimicking thought, or could it eventually connect to deeper principles of consciousness?

These questions highlight the urgent need for a scientific understanding of consciousness that integrates its universal and individual aspects. Without such understanding, the rise of AI risks deepening existential uncertainty and ethical dilemmas. Hence, consciousness is not merely a philosophical puzzle; it lies at the heart of some of the most pressing challenges of our time, from ethics in AI to understanding the origins of life itself.

The pursuit of understanding consciousness has often been marked by a division between materialist science and metaphysical philosophy.2–4 Modern scientific approaches, rooted in materialism, tend to view consciousness as a by-product of neural processes.4 While this perspective has yielded incredible insights, it often overlooks the wisdom of metaphysical traditions that regard consciousness as the primary, universal foundation of existence.2,3

Bridging this divide is not merely an academic exercise; it is essential for creating a holistic understanding of reality. Without reconciling the material and metaphysical perspectives, our understanding of existence remains incomplete, and our ability to address the great questions of life and the universe remains limited.

Philosophical and spiritual traditions have historically treated consciousness as primary. In Advaita Vedanta, for example, consciousness (Brahman) is the ultimate reality from which the material world emerges.5 Buddhist philosophy emphasizes interdependence and the idea of Shunyata (emptiness),6 which aligns with the notion that form arises from a formless domain.3 Similarly, Christian mysticism and Islamic Sufism describe the divine as an infinite presence that permeates all existence.7,8 These traditions share a common understanding: consciousness is universal, eternal, and foundational to the nature of reality.

Thinkers like Erwin Schrödinger have echoed this view. In his seminal work What is Life?, Schrödinger argued that consciousness is singular and indivisible, proposing a profound connection between the observer and the observed.9 However, these perspectives have largely remained philosophical, leaving a gap in their integration with modern scientific methods.

In contrast, current scientific approaches primarily seek to explain consciousness as an emergent phenomenon of the brain. For instance, cognitive neuroscience models consciousness as a result of complex neural processes and information integration.4 This view remains grounded in materialism, treating consciousness as secondary to physical processes.

Roger Penrose and Stuart Hameroff’s Orchestrated Objective Reduction (Orch OR) theory represents a partial departure from this paradigm. While it anchors consciousness in biological structures—specifically, orchestrated quantum state reductions in brain microtubules—it also introduces a radical ontological shift. Orch OR proposes that these reductions are influenced by the geometry of spacetime itself and that primitive protoconscious events may occur independently of the brain, embedded in the fabric of the universe.10–13 In this sense, Orch OR straddles the boundary between materialist neuroscience and metaphysical speculation: higher-order awareness is seen to arise through biological orchestration, but the foundational ingredients of consciousness are conceived as fundamental features of reality. This bridging attempt, though significant, still leaves the deeper metaphysical question open: Is consciousness a fundamental field or an emergent process? The divide between scientific materialism and metaphysical philosophy persists, highlighting the need for a conceptual framework that can integrate these perspectives. A meaningful framework must not only explore how the formless, universal nature of consciousness relates to its differentiation into individual experience but also integrate insights from philosophy, physics, and neuroscience—bridging the divide between materialist and metaphysical paradigms.

The Three Principles (3Ps) of mind, consciousness, and thought, introduced by Sydney Banks,14 offer a novel perspective on this divide.15 Banks emphasized that these principles are formless and eternal, existing before space, time, and matter. The philosophy begins with the premise that consciousness is not localized or emergent, but a universal, formless reality from which all experiences arise.14 Unlike approaches that begin with the brain and treat consciousness as a localized phenomenon, Banks starts with the universal and examines how individuality emerges from a formless whole. By framing the 3Ps in this way, Banks invites us to rethink the nature of reality itself.16 In this framework,

Mind represents the universal creative intelligence, the source of all potential, and the driver of creation. It is the metaphysical foundation from which all differentiation and structure arise. Hence, it resonates with spiritual notions of a divine or universal source,

Consciousness is the universal capacity for awareness, enabling all forms to be perceived and experienced. It is the substrate through which space, time, and matter are realized and,

Thought is the creative mechanism that transforms the formless potential of mind and consciousness into the subjective, structured realities of individual experience.

These principles suggest a fundamentally non-dual reality—a unified, formless whole from which the apparent diversity of existence emerges.

By fostering insights into how consciousness and thought shape human reality, programs grounded in the 3Ps have demonstrated transformative results in various societal settings16–19 [cf. supplementary material S1].

This perspective aligns with both spiritual traditions and emerging ideas in physics. The quantum vacuum, for instance, is understood as the foundational state of the universe, containing the potential for all physical phenomena.20 Similarly, pre-Big Bang models in cosmology describe a timeless, spaceless domain from which the observable universe is thought to have emerged.21 

Recent advances in quantum physics have provided new insights into how classical reality emerges from a deeper quantum foundation. A growing body of research suggests that classical behavior is not fundamental but rather an emergent property of quantum dynamics. Strasberg et al. recently demonstrated that classicality arises naturally within unitary quantum evolution through an exponential suppression of quantum coherence, challenging the notion that classical laws are primary.22 This supports the idea that the reality we experience is not an inherent classical structure but a manifestation of deeper, underlying principles—a perspective that resonates with theories proposing consciousness as a fundamental aspect of existence.

By integrating the 3Ps14 with quantum mechanics and field theory,23,24 this paper proposes a mathematical framework for consciousness. Mind is modeled as the universal intelligence driving the evolution of reality. Consciousness is represented as a fundamental field underpinning awareness and experience. Thought serves as the mechanism for transforming potentiality into structured realities (Fig. 1).

This model reinterprets the Big Bang as the differentiation of universal consciousness and provides a mathematical basis for understanding nonlocality, space–time emergence, and the structure of subjective experience.

II. THE MATHEMATICAL FRAMEWORK

In the presented framework, the creative intelligence Mind is not a localized or personal “mind,” but a metaphysical force that

provides structure to the field of universal consciousness Φ, in analogy with Bohm and Hiley,25 in which an underlying field structures reality, drives the differentiation of this field from a timeless, formless potential into structured states and ensures coherence in the evolution of reality, linking the undifferentiated source to differentiated physical phenomena.

Mind is treated as the source of all differentiation and creativity. Its influence is modeled mathematically through operators and potentials that govern the behavior of the consciousness field.23,26

The consciousness field Φ is the central entity in this framework. It serves as the origin for all phenomena, including space, time, matter, and individual awareness. Analogous to physical fields, Φ can exist in an undifferentiated state and differentiate into localized excitations giving rise to physical structures or individual consciousness.

A. Pre-Big Bang: Timeless universal consciousness

The concept of universal consciousness before the Big Bang is central to this framework. In this state, reality exists as a timeless and undifferentiated potential, without space, time, or matter. This section explores the mathematical representation of this state, its parameters, and the mechanisms by which differentiation begins.

1. The undifferentiated state represents the timeless, undifferentiated state of universal consciousness. It is a superposition of all possible configurations of reality, existing in a state of pure potential.27 

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FULL RESEARCH ARTICLE HERE.⁠

Rare Star System Gives Insights into the Origins of Carbon Dust in the Galaxy

 

This scientific visualization models what three of the four dust shells sent out by two Wolf-Rayet stars in the Apep system look like in 3D based on mid-infrared observations from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope. Apep is made up of two Wolf-Rayet binary stars that are orbiting together with a third supergiant star. For 25 years during every 190-year orbit, the Wolf-Rayet stars’ winds collide, producing and sending out new waves of amorphous carbon dust. The width of the widest bubble is at least 4.6 light-years across.

Carbon dust is a fundamental building block for life, forming complex molecules on dust grains in space through interstellar chemistry. The presence of carbon dust and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the early universe, as observed by the James Webb Space Telescope (JWST), suggests that the basic components for life may have formed earlier than previously thought. These carbon-rich grains are essential for planet formation and can act as catalysts for creating more complex organic molecules. 

The role of carbon dust in the universe

Building block for life: Carbon dust is crucial for creating molecules essential for life.

• Interstellar chemistry: Dust grains act as surfaces where atoms can come together to form molecules like hydrogen and water. In very cold conditions, ice can form on the grains, leading to the creation of complex organic molecules through surface chemistry.

• Catalyst: Carbon dust and other dust particles act as catalysts, helping to spark and facilitate chemical reactions that are vital for creating the building blocks of life.

• Planet formation: The amount of carbon dust is a key factor in determining how many planets form in a galaxy, say University of Denver researchers.

• Early universe observations: The JWST has detected carbon-rich dust grains in galaxies that existed when the universe was only about 800 million years old.

• Early formation of complex molecules: The detection of PAHs, complex organic molecules, in this early dust suggests that the ingredients for life may have been present much earlier in cosmic history than previously believed.

• Surprising resilience: The existence of PAHs in the harsh conditions of the early universe is remarkable, as these molecules are fragile and can be destroyed by ultraviolet radiation or supernova shocks.

• Origin of life theories: Some theories suggest that life could have originated on "carbon planets," worlds that are rich in carbon, say Smithsonian Institution researchers. 

Production of carbon dust

• Stellar winds: Massive stars, including binary star systems, expel large amounts of carbon-rich dust into space through stellar winds.

• Supernovae: The death of massive stars in supernovae events also releases carbon into the universe.

• Star formation: High levels of star formation in young galaxies can contribute to the creation of carbon-rich materials. 

Webb’s mid-infrared image shows four coiled shells of dust around a pair of Wolf-Rayet stars known as Apep for the first time. Previous observations by other telescopes showed only one. Webb’s data also confirmed that there are three stars gravitationally bound to one another.

Image: NASA, ESA, CSA, STScI; Science: Yinuo Han (Caltech), Ryan White (Macquarie University); Image Processing: Alyssa Pagan (STScI)

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NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope has delivered a first of its kind: a crisp mid-infrared image of a system of four serpentine spirals of dust, one expanding beyond the next in precisely the same pattern. (The fourth is almost transparent, at the edges of Webb’s image.) Observations taken prior to Webb only detected one shell, and while the existence of outer shells was hypothesized, searches using ground-based telescopes were unable to uncover any. These shells were emitted over the last 700 years by two aging Wolf-Rayet stars in a system known as Apep, a nod to the Egyptian god of chaos.

Webb’s image combined with several years of data from the European Southern Observatory’s Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile narrowed down how often the pair swing by one another: once every 190 years. Over each incredibly long orbit, they pass closely for 25 years and form dust.

Webb also confirmed that there are three stars gravitationally bound to one another in this system. The dust ejected by the two Wolf-Rayet stars is “slashed” by a third star, a massive supergiant, which carves holes into each expanding cloud of dust from its wider orbit. (All three stars are shown as a single bright point of light in Webb’s image.)

“Looking at Webb’s new observations was like walking into a dark room and switching on the light — everything came into view,” said Yinuo Han, the lead author of a new paper in The Astrophysical Journal and postdoctoral researcher at Caltech in Pasadena, California. “There is dust everywhere in Webb’s image, and the telescope shows that most of it was cast off in repetitive, predictable structures.” Han’s paper coincides with the publication of Ryan White’s paper in The Astrophysical Journal, a PhD student at Macquarie University in Sydney, Australia.

Han, White, and their co-authors refined the Wolf-Rayet stars’ orbit by combining precise measurements of the ring location from Webb’s image with the speed of the shells’ expansion from observations taken by the VLT over eight years.

“This is a one-of-a-kind system with an incredibly rare orbital period,” White said. “The next longest orbit for a dusty Wolf-Rayet binary is about 30 years. Most have orbits between two and 10 years.”

When the two Wolf-Rayet stars approach and pass one another, their strong stellar winds collide and mix, forming and casting out heaps of carbon-rich dust for a quarter century at a time. In similar systems, dust is shot out over mere months, like the shells in Wolf-Rayet 140. 

High-speed ‘skirmish’

The dust-producing Wolf-Rayet stars in Apep aren’t exactly on a tranquil cruise. They are whipping through space and sending out dust at 1,200 to 2,000 miles per second (2,000 to 3,000 kilometers per second). 

That dust is also very dense. The specific makeup of the dust is another reason why Webb was able to observe so much more: It largely consists of amorphous carbon. “Carbon dust grains retain a higher temperature even as they coast far away from the star,” Han said. While the exceptionally tiny dust grains are considered warm in space, the light they emit is also extremely faint, which is why it can only be detected from space by Webb’s MIRI (Mid-Infrared Instrument).

Slicing dust

To find the holes the third star has cut like a knife through the dust, look for the central point of light and trace a V shape from about 10 o’clock to 2 o’clock. “The cavity is more or less in the same place in each shell and looks like a funnel,” White said.

“I was shocked when I saw the updated calculations play out in our simulations,” he said. “Webb gave us the ‘smoking gun’ to prove the third star is gravitationally bound to this system.” Researchers have known about the third star since the VLT observed the brightest innermost shell and the stars in 2018, but Webb’s observations led to an updated geometric model, clinching the connection. 

“We solved several mysteries with Webb,” Han said. “The remaining mystery is the precise distance to the stars from Earth, which will require future observations.”

Future of Apep

The two Wolf-Rayet stars were initially more massive than their supergiant companion, but have shed most of their mass. It’s likely that both Wolf-Rayet stars are between 10 and 20 times the mass of the Sun, and that the supergiant is 40 or 50 times as massive compared to the Sun.

Eventually, the Wolf-Rayet stars will explode as supernovae, quickly sending their contents into space. Either may also emit a gamma-ray burst, one of the most powerful events in the universe, before possibly becoming a black hole. 

Wolf-Rayet stars are incredibly rare in the universe. Only a thousand are estimated to exist in our Milky Way galaxy, which contains hundreds of billions of stars overall. Of the few hundred Wolf-Rayet binaries that have been observed to date, Apep is the only example that contains two Wolf-Rayet stars of these types in our galaxy — most only have one.

The James Webb Space Telescope is the world’s premier space science observatory. Webb is solving mysteries in our solar system, looking beyond to distant worlds around other stars, and probing the mysterious structures and origins of our universe and our place in it. Webb is an international program led by NASA with its partners, ESA (European Space Agency) and CSA (Canadian Space Agency).

Experiments Reveal Extreme Water Generation During Planet Formation

 

"It represents a major step forward in how we think about the search for distant worlds capable of hosting life."

Water isn't just delivered to planets by comets and asteroids — it can also be forged as worlds form, a new study finds.

For decades, scientists have debated the origin of Earth's water. One long-standing theory suggests that it was delivered by icy bodies from the outer solar system after Earth formed, while another proposes that the raw materials that make up our planet already held the ingredients necessary to generate water internally. Until now, however, this second hypothesis had never been tested under realistic laboratory conditions.

In a series of high-pressure, high-temperature experiments designed to mimic the fiery beginnings of a young planet, scientists recreated the extreme environment where such worlds' molten rock and hydrogen gas interact. These tests revealed that liquid water can, in fact, form naturally during the early stages of planet formation.

The findings imply that, rather than a rare cosmic accident, water may be an inevitable outcome of how planets form, making it far more common across the galaxy than scientists once thought.

The new findings, published Oct. 30 in the journal Nature, offer a fresh perspective on one of planetary science's oldest questions and expand the possibilities for where life-sustaining water might arise in the cosmos.

"This work demonstrates that large quantities of water are created as a natural consequence of planet formation," Anat Shahar, a scientist at the Carnegie Institution for Science in Washington D.C., who co-led the study, said in a statement. "It represents a major step forward in how we think about the search for distant worlds capable of hosting life."

Of the more than 6,000 exoplanets discovered so far in our Milky Way galaxy, worlds larger than Earth but smaller than Neptune, known as sub-Neptunes, are the most common. Although no such planet exists in our solar system, scientists suspect these worlds possess rocky interiors enveloped by thick, hydrogen-rich atmospheres. That combination makes them ideal analogues for testing how water might form during the earliest stages of planetary evolution, the study notes.

To explore this process, Shahar and her team built a miniature version of a sub-Neptune in the lab. Using a device called a diamond anvil cell, they compressed samples of molten, iron-rich rock to nearly 600,000 times Earth’s atmospheric pressure between the tips of two diamonds and heated them to more than 7,200 degrees Fahrenheit (4,000 degrees Celsius) — temperatures comparable to those found deep within a molten planet, according to the statement.

Scientists say this setup simulated a crucial phase in planet formation, when newly formed worlds orbiting young stars are shrouded in thick blankets of hydrogen gas. That hydrogen acts like a "thermal blanket," trapping heat and keeping magma oceans molten for millions — or even billions — of years, during which the gas and molten rock can interact.

Under these hellish conditions, the researchers found that hydrogen dissolves easily into molten rock, where it reacts with iron oxides to produce substantial amounts of water. The results show that water can arise as a natural byproduct of rock-and-gas chemistry, without requiring delivery from comets, asteroids or other external sources.

The findings imply that, rather than a rare cosmic accident, water may be an inevitable outcome of how planets form, making it far more common across the galaxy than scientists once thought.