Quantum mechanics that will revolutionize our understanding of how life works
Imagine using our cell phones to control the activity of our own cells to treat injuries and diseases. This sounds like it comes from the imagination of an overly optimistic science fiction writer. But through the emerging field of quantum biology, this may one day become a possibility.
In the past few decades, scientists have made incredible progress in understanding and manipulating biological systems on increasingly small scales: from protein folding to genetic engineering. However, the extent to which quantum effects affect living systems remains virtually unknown.
Quantum effects are phenomena that occur between atoms and molecules and cannot be explained by classical physics. It has been known for more than a century that the rules of classical mechanics (such as Newton's laws of motion) break down at the atomic scale; in contrast, tiny objects behave according to a different set of laws, known as quantum mechanics.
To humans, who can only perceive the macroscopic world, or things visible to the naked eye, quantum mechanics seems counterintuitive: it's kind of amazing. Things we might not expect to happen in the quantum world, such as electrons "crossing" a tiny energy barrier and appearing unscathed on the other side, or electrons appearing in two different places at the same time through a phenomenon called "superposition".
The study of quantum mechanics is usually technology-oriented. However, somewhat surprisingly, there is growing evidence that nature - an engineer with billions of years of practice - has learned how to use quantum mechanics to function optimally. If this is indeed true, it means that our understanding of biology is fundamentally incomplete; it also means that it is possible to control physiological processes by exploiting the quantum properties of biological matter.
Researchers could manipulate quantum phenomena to build better technologies. Indeed, we already live in a world powered by quanta: from laser pointers to GPS, magnetic resonance imaging and transistors in computers, all of these technologies rely on quantum effects.
In general, quantum effects are only manifested on very small length and mass scales, or when the temperature approaches absolute zero. This is because quantum objects like atoms and molecules lose their "quantumness" when they interact uncontrollably with their environment. In other words, the macroscopic collection of quantum objects is best described by the laws of classical mechanics. Everything that starts out quantum will "die" classically: for example, an electron can be manipulated to appear in two places at once, but it will only end up in one place in a very short period of time - just as classically expected.
Thus, in a complex, noisy biological system, most quantum effects are expected to disappear quickly, washed away by what physicist Schrödinger calls the "warm, humid environment of the cell. For most physicists, the fact that the living world operates in a hot and complex environment means that biology can be adequately and comprehensively described by classical physics: there are no fashionable barriers to cross and no simultaneous presence in multiple locations.
Chemists, however, have disagreed for a long time. Studies of fundamental chemical reactions at room temperature clearly show that processes occurring in biological macromolecules, such as proteins and genetic material, are the result of quantum effects. Importantly, this nanoscale, transient quantum effect is consistent with the driving force for a number of macroscopic physiological processes that biologists have measured in living cells and organisms. Studies have shown that quantum effects affect biological functions: including regulation of enzyme activity, perception of magnetic fields, cellular metabolism, and electron transport in biomolecules.
The tantalizing possibility that subtle quantum effects can tune biological processes is both an exciting frontier and a challenge for scientists. Studying quantum mechanical effects in biology requires tools that can measure subtle differences in short timescales, small length scales, and quantum states that cause physiological changes: all integrated in a traditional wet lab environment.
In the work of some quantum engineers, they have built instruments to study and control the quantum properties of small things like electrons. Just as electrons have mass and charge, they also have a quantum property called "spin". Spin defines how an electron interacts with a magnetic field, just as charge defines how an electron interacts with an electric field.
Research has shown that many physiological processes are affected by weak magnetic fields. These processes include stem cell development and maturation, cell proliferation rates, genetic material repair, and countless others. These physiological responses to magnetic fields are consistent with chemical reactions that depend on specific electron spins within molecules. Thus, the application of weak magnetic fields to alter electron spin can effectively control the end products of chemical reactions and have important physiological consequences.
Currently, due to a lack of understanding of how such processes work at the nanoscale level, researchers are unable to determine precisely what strength and frequency of magnetic fields will result in specific chemical reactions in cells. Current cell phones, wearable devices and miniaturized technologies are already powerful enough to generate customized weak magnetic fields and alter physiology, for better or worse. Thus, the missing piece of the puzzle is the "decisive code" for how to map quantum causes to physiological outcomes.
In the future, fine-tuning the quantum properties of nature could allow researchers to develop non-invasive, remotely controlled therapeutic devices that can be accessed with cell phones. For example, electromagnetic therapy could potentially be used to prevent and treat diseases (e.g., brain tumors), as well as for biomanufacturing (e.g., increasing the yield of lab-grown meat).
Even more, studies have already shown that quantum computing is revolutionizing the healthcare industry in the near future: according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets™, quantum computing in the healthcare market is estimated to generate revenues of $85 million in 2023 and will reach $503 million by 2028, representing a CAGR of 42.5% from 2023 to 2028.
Quantum Computing in the Healthcare System
Quantum biology is one of the most interdisciplinary fields that has ever emerged.
Potentially transformative research in biology, medicine and physical sciences will require working in an equally transformative collaborative model. Working in a unified laboratory will allow scientists from disciplines that take very different approaches to research to conduct experiments that meet the breadth of quantum biology from the quantum to the molecular, cellular, and organismal.
The existence of quantum biology as a discipline means that the traditional understanding of life processes is incomplete. Further research will provide new insights into the age-old questions of "what is life", "how to control life", and "how to learn from nature to build better quantum technologies". Further research will provide new insights into the age-old questions of "what is life," "how to control it," and "how to learn with nature to build better quantum technologies.
Reference links:
[1] https://theconversation.com/quantum-physics-proposes-a-new-way-to-study-biology-and-the-results-could-revolutionize-our- understanding-of-how-life-works-204995
[2] https://thequantuminsider.com/2023/05/16/the-conversation-quantum-physics-proposes-a-new-way-to-study-biology-and-the-results- could-revolutionize-our-understanding-of-how-life-works/
[3] https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/quantum-computing-in-healthcare-market-worth-503-million--marketsandmarkets-301824396. html
[4]https://www.marketsandmarkets.com/Market-Reports/quantum-computing-in-healthcare-market-41524710.html?utm_source=Prnewswire&utm _medium=referral&utm_campaign=paidpr
