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Silviu recently posted a result where he provides move sequences to solve all positions of the corners with an even corner permutation in 22 quarter turns or less without any net effect on the edges. This, combined with a result by Tomas Rokicki that the edges can be solved in 18 quarter turns or less, allowed Silviu to conclude that Rubik's cube can always be solved in 18+22 = 40 quarter turns or less. I have used a C++ program to verify Silviu's sequences do not exceed 22 quarter turns; and combined with applying "M-symmetry" and inverses to those sequences, correctly solve all even permutation and orientation possibilities for the corners with no net effect on the edges.

Looking at Rokicki's analysis further, one can see that there are relatively few positions in the edges-only case that require more than 16 quarter turns. For the cases of 16 or less quarter turns, the edges can be solved, and then the corners can be solved with Silviu's sequences, in no more than 38 quarter turns. Showing that the other cases in the edges-only analysis of more than 16 quarter turns can be solved in 38 quarter turns or less (including corners) would therefore mean that all positions of Rubik's cube can be solved in 38 quarter turns or less.