claims … that purport to be supported by quantum physics/mechanics:
I suspect that in all but a tiny minority of cases these claims are just using the fact that "quantum mechanics" is counterintuitive and makes statements which seem impossible (tunneling being a prime example) to justify other claims which are nonsensical. Do you have any examples of how quantum theory is used in these cases?
Does it have something to do with the idea of a "conscious observer" not necessarily meaning "a human being with a conscious," depending on your interpretation of quantum mechanics?
As alby says: it doesn’t matter what is doing the observing. The point is that any observation will have an effect. Consciousness or otherwise doesn’t come into it.
Cases I can think of where one of these claims is actually linked to quantum mechanics are faster-than-light information transfer (the EPR paradox) and quantum entanglement. The latter is useful, among other things, for Ekert’s quantum cryptography scheme.
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