From quantum chemistry to quantum biology: a path toward consciousness
Quantum Pathways in Living Systems
This review traces how methods and ideas developed in quantum chemistry are being extended into biological contexts, showing that quantum-level phenomena such as tunneling, coherence and electron or spin dynamics may play a functional role in living systems. By exploring how life might harness quantum effects, the article supports the possibility that biological organization and regulation operate through physical processes beyond classical biochemistry.
Research Question:
- How do the fundamental laws of quantum physics apply to the biological processes of life and the human mind?
- Can "quantum tricks" like entanglement and tunneling explain the high speed and efficiency of our cells?
- Is consciousness a scientific phenomenon that can be explained by quantum activities inside brain cells?
Theory Proposed: This paper proposes that life and consciousness are governed by quantum processes that traditional biology cannot explain. It argues that evolution has "fine-tuned" biological systems to use quantum effects—like energy tunneling and light signaling—to stay perfectly synchronized, specifically through frameworks like Quantum Metabolism for energy use and the Orch OR theory for the origin of consciousness within brain cells.
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Biophysics Phenomena Discussed: Quantum Biology and the Orchestrated Objective Reduction (Orch OR) Theory.
Theory Highlights:Â
- Quantum biology is an emerging discipline proving that living systems have evolved to use quantum mechanics to maintain stability, synchronization, and efficiency.Â
- Research confirms that photosynthesis and bird navigation rely on quantum entanglement and coherence, allowing these systems to "search" for optimal pathways almost instantaneously.Â
- While still debated, evidence suggests the brain may operate like a quantum computer, with microtubules protecting delicate quantum states from the body's internal heat and "noise".
Discussion:
- Nature appears to have solved the problem of "noise" (decoherence), allowing quantum events to happen in the warm, wet environment of the human body.
- Cells may use a "wireless" network of light and energy (biophotons) to communicate and coordinate healing across the whole organism.
- Understanding life through a quantum lens moves us away from seeing the body as a simple chemical machine and toward seeing it as an integrated energy system.
- These quantum connections may finally explain the "binding problem"—how our brain unifies millions of separate signals into a single, cohesive sense of "self".
Conclusion: Quantum physics is the key to unlocking the mysteries of how life is organized and how the mind functions. This framework suggests that consciousness is a fundamental part of our biological reality, emerging from the quantum level of our cells.
Link to Publication: https://www.imrpress.com/journal/JIN/19/4/10.31083/j.jin.2020.04.393
Physics Perspectives on the Biofield
This review examines how electromagnetic signals, coherent biophoton emissions and quantum level interactions may contribute to a broader physical basis for the biofield. By linking these mechanisms to biological organization and regulation, the authors propose that subtle field based processes could help explain aspects of development, healing and responsiveness to energy based practices.
Where Quantum Physics Meets Biology
Summary: This review explores compelling evidence that quantum-level processes, including electron or energy transfer, quantum tunneling and spin-dependent radical-pair reactions, play active roles in biological functions such as enzyme activity, smell (olfaction), photosynthesis and magnetoreception. By showing that quantum mechanisms may underlie key molecular and cellular behaviors, the paper expands the biological paradigm beyond classical chemistry and support
Hints of Quantum Behavior in the Brain
Summary: This study used an MRI technique that can pick up very subtle forms of brain activity and found heartbeat-timed signals that could not be explained by normal physiology or standard imaging effects. Because these signals only appeared when participants were awake, the authors suggest they may reflect an unusual form of brain activity that behaves differently from classical physics.
Possible Optical Biofield Dynamics
This study found that when many tryptophan molecules are arranged together in large protein structures, they can act collectively and release light in a stronger and more coordinated way than any single molecule could on its own. The findings raise the possibility that these assemblies could support an optical biofield capable of coordinating energy flow within the structure, suggesting a system that behaves as more than the sum of its parts.
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