Quantum, Biology and Photosynthesis ! What is Quantum Biology?

 Niels Bohr had already won the 1922 Nobel Prize and was well respected for his work and of course for his ideas on quantum mechanics. In 1932 Bohr gave a lecture at the International Congress on Light Therapy in Copenhagen. The title of his lecture was “Light and Life.”Max Delbrück, who was just twenty-six years old, was attending the lecture. This lecture, as he described, changed the course of his life. The lecture made Max, a physicist, dive in to understand biology. Later in 1967, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine. Biology was soon going to become a physicist’s cup of tea.

Why Quantum mechanics is the player in biological systems?

Because every matter you see around yourself, living or dead, consists of atoms and molecules which are interacting in some way between each other. We now know that atoms can only be explained quantum mechanically, the same is for molecules, i.e. the interaction between atoms. So there is nothing to stop quantum physics playing a role in complex molecular interactions which is nothing but biology. Yeah! Of course, it would be challenging to study such complex systems. That’s why it took visionary minds and technological advances like ultra-fast spectroscopy, single-molecule spectroscopy et cetera to arrive where we are today.

So how do we look at photosynthesis in a quantum mechanical way?

At the core of all biological processes, there are the transfer of charges like electrons, protons, and ions, and transfer of energy. In short, these are known as transport processes. That amazing feeling when your crush looks back to you! It’s all the same electrons, protons and ions making you go crazy!

It has been observed that under suitable conditions, for almost every photon absorbed by light-harvesting complexes (antenna complex), an electron is transferred to the photosynthetic reaction centre (where the primary energy conversion happens by photosynthesis). This process occurs with almost perfect quantum efficiency. It is probably one of the most efficient engines which convert fuel to energy, where human-made engines are nowhere close in terms of efficiency. Experiments have proved that the above can only be explained by applying quantum mechanical ideas like wavepackets, coherence et cetra. Understanding such processes is crucial and has the potential to revolutionize solar cell efficiencies. Who doesn’t want electricity free of cost?

What else does quantum biology explain?

Quantum biology can help in understanding amazing things in nature. Magnetoreception is one of the best examples which helps birds migrate so precisely. So we now have a quantum theory of bird migration! We don’t really understand how we smell. How can we identify hundreds of smells so precisely? Of course, classical theories do not answer all the questions about Olfaction. And you guessed it right, quantum mechanics is the game-changer. Hold on there is more it can do. It can explain how things like cognition work, the origins of life and who knows what not! [1]

When it comes to Quantum Physics, I am a die-hard fan. Are you?

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