Quantum biology
Quantum biology refers to applications of quantum mechanics and theoretical chemistry to biological objects and problems. Many biological processes involve the conversion of energy into forms that are usable for chemical transformations and are quantum mechanical in nature. Such processes involve chemical reactions, light absorption, formation of excited electronic states, transfer of excitation energy, and the transfer of electrons and protons (hydrogen ions) in chemical processes such as photosynthesis and cellular respiration.[1] Quantum biology may use computations to model biological interactions in light of quantum mechanical effects.[2]
Contents
History
Early pioneers of quantum physics saw applications of quantum mechanics in biological problems. Erwin Schrödinger published What is Life? in 1944 discussing applications of quantum mechanics in biology.[3] Schrödinger introduced the idea of an "aperiodic crystal" that contained genetic information in its configuration of covalent chemical bonds. He further suggested that mutations are introduced by "quantum leaps." Other pioneers Niels Bohr, Pascual Jordan, and Max Delbruck argued that the quantum idea of complementarity was fundamental to the life sciences.[4] In 1963, Per-Olov Löwdin published proton tunneling as another mechanism for DNA mutation. In his paper, he stated that there is a new field of study called “quantum biology.”[5]
Applications
Photosynthesis
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Organisms that undergo photosynthesis initially absorb light energy through the process of electron excitation in an antenna. This antenna varies between organisms. Bacteria can use ring like structures as antennas, whereas plants and other organisms use chlorophyll pigments to absorb photons. This electron excitation creates a separation of charge in a reaction site that is later converted into chemical energy for the cell to use. However, this electron excitation must be transferred in an efficient and timely manner, before that energy is lost in fluorescence.
Various structures are responsible for transferring energy from the antennas to a reaction site. One of the most well studied is the FMO complex in green sulfur bacteria. FT electron spectroscopy studies show an efficiency of above 99% between the absorption of electrons and transfer to the reaction site with short lived intermediates.[6] This high efficiency cannot be explained by classical mechanics such as a diffusion model.
Recent studies have identified quantum coherence and entanglement between the excited states of different pigments in the light-harvesting stage of photosynthesis.[7][8] There are different proposals as to how quantum coherence transfers the absorbed energy to the reaction site. If each site within the complex feels its own environmental noise, then because of both quantum coherence and thermal environment, the electron will not remain in any local minimum but proceed to the reaction site.[9][10] Another proposal is that the rate of quantum coherence combined with electron tunneling creates an energy sink that moves the electron to the reaction site quickly.[11]
Vision
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Vision relies on quantized energy in order to convert light signals to an action potential in a process called phototransduction. In phototransduction, a photon interacts with a chromophore in a light receptor. The chromophore absorbs the photon and undergoes photoisomerization. This change in structure induces a change in the structure of the photo receptor and resulting signal transduction pathways lead to a visual signal. However, the photoisomerization reaction occurs at a rapid rate, <200 fs, with high yield. Models suggest the use of quantum effects in shaping the ground state and excited state potentials in order to achieve this efficiency.[12]
Enzymatic activity
Enzymes may use quantum tunneling to transfer electrons long distances. Tunneling refers to the ability of a small mass particle to travel through energy barriers. Studies show that long distance electron transfers between redox centers through quantum tunneling plays important roles in enzymatic activity of photosynthesis and cellular respiration.[13][14] For example, studies show that long range electron tunneling on the order of 15–30 Å plays a role in redox reactions in enzymes of cellular respiration.[15] Even though there are such large separations between redox sites within enzymes, electrons successfully transfer in a temperature independent and distance dependent manner. This suggests the ability of electrons to tunnel in physiological conditions. Further research is needed to determine whether this specific tunneling is also coherent.
Magnetoreception
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Magnetoreception refers to the ability of animals to navigate using the magnetic field of the earth. A possible explanation for magnetoreception is the radical pair mechanism.[16] In the mechanism, high energy light enters the retina and excites an electron in a chromophore. Furthermore, the excited electron is quantum entangled to another electron so it is simultaneously in both the singlet and triplet states. Small fluctuations in the earth's magnetic field affect this radical pair and therefore can determine the biochemical products and create signals. Even though the specific chromophore has not been identified, researchers found evidence for this hypothesis when the European robins could no longer navigate when in a high frequency oscillating magnetic field.
Other biological applications
Other examples of quantum phenomena in biological systems include olfaction,[17] the conversion of chemical energy into motion,[18] DNA mutation[5] and brownian motors in many cellular processes.[19] Some studies propose that quantum phenomenas could be at the base of some still unclear animal capacities like avian compass.[20]
References
- ↑ Quantum Biology. University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Theoretical and Computational Biophysics Group. http://www.ks.uiuc.edu/Research/quantum_biology/
- ↑ http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/01/070116133617.htm Science Daily Quantum Biology: Powerful Computer Models Reveal Key Biological Mechanism Retrieved Oct 14, 2007
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- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Lowdin, P.O. (1965) Quantum genetics and the aperiodic solid. Some aspects on the Biological problems of heredity, mutations, aging and tumours in view of the quantum theory of the DNA molecule. Advances in Quantum Chemistry. Volume 2. pp. 213-360. Academic Press
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- ↑ http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110615/full/474272a.html
Further reading
- Abbott, Davies, Pati, eds, Quantum Aspects of Life, 2008.
- How Long is a Piece of Time? Phenomenal Time and Quantum Coherence. Toward a Solution Vimal (Ram Lakhan Pandey) & Davia (Christopher James) Quantum Biosystems, 1(2) 102-151, Editor Massimo Pregnolato
- Derek Abbott, Julio Gea-Banacloche, Paul C. W. Davies, Stuart Hameroff, Anton Zeilinger, Jens Eisert, Howard M. Wiseman, Sergey M. Bezrukov, and Hans Frauenfelder, "Plenary debate: quantum effects in biology―trivial or not?" Fluctuation and Noise Letters, 8(1), pp. C5–C26, 2008.
- Philip Ball, "Physics of life: The dawn of quantum biology," Nature 474 (2011), 272-274.
- Bordonaro M, Ogryzko VV. "Quantum biology at the cellular level - Elements of the research program". Biosystems. 2013 112(1):11-30. [1]
- P.C.W. Davies, "Does quantum mechanics play a non-trivial role in life?" BioSystems, 78, pp. 69–79, 2004.
- P.C.W. Davies, "Quantum fluctuations and life", quant-ph/0403017, 2 March 2004
- Johnjoe McFadden and Jim Al-Khalili, "A quantum mechanical model of adaptive mutation" BioSystems 50 (1999), 203-211.
- Jim Al-Khalili and Johnjoe McFadden, Life on the Edge: The Coming of Age of Quantum Biology, Bantam Press, 2014 [2]
- Ogryzko VV. "Erwin Schroedinger, Francis Crick and epigenetic stability". Biol Direct. 3, pp. 15, 2008. http://www.biology-direct.com/content/3/1/15
- Erwin Schrödinger. What is Life?, Cambridge, 1944.
- M. Tegmark, "Why the brain is probably not a quantum computer," Information Sciences, 128, pp. 155–179, 2000.
- F. Trixler, "Quantum tunnelling to the origin and evolution of life," Current Organic Chemistry, 17(16), pp. 1758-1770, 2013.
- M.R.Khoshbin-e-Khoshnazar,"Quantum Superposition in the Retina:Evidences and Proposals".NeuroQuantology,12(1):97-101, 2014.
External links
- Quantum Biology and the Hidden Nature of Nature, World Science Festival 2012, video of podium discussion
- Theoretical and Computational Biophysics Group, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
- Quantum Biology Workshop, September 2012, University of Surrey, UK - videos of plenary talks and interviews with participants
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