Hi Jim, it is not easy to explain this consciousness. It is a problem philosophical also and in seeing our limitations physical, mathematical and philosophical , that is why it is a hard problem. I have read and learnt many papers about this consciousness, I like the ideas of Penrose and Hameroff , but it lacks things due to these limitations, the orchestrated objective reduction and the collapses of the waves function more the biological mechanism of brains are limited even in considering these neurons and microtubules. I told to Hameroff that there many deeper parameters to add . It depends also of this philosophy, many consider only the GR and photons like primary essence and god or mathematical accident they believe that the fields and waves are mainly the cause of all , and after they consider the vacuum of this GR for deeper informations and even the consciousness.If the DE and DM must be considered and mainly the main informations of this antigravitation and after even a kind of infinite eternal consciousness in 0D, so they shall not reach this consciousness because they just analyse the surface of problem. There is an enormous difference between this intelligence and the consciousness. I d say even that the body mind soul problem is a kind of key more the general philosophy of origin of the universe.