Quantum Biology Q&A

Jim Al-Khalili and Philip Ball answer questions on Quantum Biology. What happens to electrons in tunneling atoms? Do molecules vibrate? How do quantum effects happen in complex biological systems?

This event took place at the Royal Institution on 28 January 2015.

[trustthewater]

I really like having both answering questions. Their knowledge was wonderfully complimentary and very interesting.

[ajpearce]

The bee question at the end there, dismissed pretty quickly, drew me in precisely because of that. Did a quick search and indeed, most types of bee don't even dance. Worth investigating.

[omeneverlasting]

That question about the avian compass was good.

[zagyex]

If it turns out - and looks it does - that quantum mechanical processes indeed occur in living structures and at they are useful in information processing then from an evolutionary standpoint it would be EXTREMELY unlikely that such effects are missing from the single most complicated form of (living) structures, the human brain.

[carldelucia]

the question is there something special about life, the energy level in what we call life is in motion faster than so called non living items.a very small point seprates this but it also connects it and concisness in all living things at a very high level, according to us .like the humming bird next to the man or a plant who is more alive, due to motion .As this makes me feel all things are sort of alive but in diffrent states of anamation.since we are all made of the same stuff in a greater or lesser anamation.Is life at the subatomic level..

[mekean]

How can bio-quantum coherence occur at standard temperatures? This is like asking, 'How can we feel the effects of gravity, when it takes big science to isolate and detect gravity waves?'

[I_am_Sev]

May I know the title of the experiment/research at 4:21 that he was talking about?

[erikziak]

About the Robin experiment. I ask myself if the fact that the birds had something at their heads might have altered their behavior in order that they did not want to continue the journey they were on but simply wanted to get the hell out in any direction possible. I ask myself, not knowing the precise layout of the experiment, if it were not easier to put them all in an absolutely dark box or room and do the experiment that way. I would also ask myself if there is a specific frequency of light needed to trigger the reaction that leads to the two radicals which, as far as I understood, by the time it takes to react give a clue about the direction of the magnetic lines. Now this leads me to the question if Robins really can tell where is south and where north or do they simply "feel" the alignment of magnetic field lines without the ability to actually tell where is the south and the north. Like if you were in a room and were told that the line drawn on the floor goes from south to north and it would be true, you still would be unable to tell which direction south or north is other than it must be one way or the other. Yet with another information you could clearly say. So maybe the mechanism by which Robins (and other birds and animals) can tell needs more input. Back to the "color" of the light question. I guess I can rule out frequencies that are not available at night, but still ask myself (and can imagine an experiment layout that could test this) if there is any specific wavelength at which the birds can tell the alignment of the magnetic field lines best. Of course this also needs some better knowledge of the retina of the birds, who can distinguish more colors, unimaginable by us (we have only trichromacy, birds have four different pigments and thus types of cones). Maybe this is vital to the whole “seeing the magnetic field lines” thing. Also, this could give a good hint about the biochemical process as it would narrow down the energy level needed for it to a specific value, if we find out that one specific frequency of monochromatic light triggers it best. Lots of questions, no answers. Some questions might be trivial, but it is good to ask them. To me, the whole Robin experiment is surely nice, but opens more questions than gives answers and I would like to rule out other explanations. Ever heard of Young’s 1937 Rat experiment and its implications? This is the sort of things I mean. Sorry for the long post. I do not expect an answer here, but if anyone reads it and thinks he understand and knows somebody, please forward this ideas. Also I find it hard to ask questions for the fear of sounding stupid, maybe my assumptions are wrong. I apologize if that is true, as you can tell I am not an expert in the field, but then again, this theme overlaps over so many fields that there hardly is somebody who is an expert in all fields (maybe the chemist is the one, but he does not realize it, this was already mentioned in the video). It is hard to put my thoughts into meaningful sentences and the fact that I use a foreign language does not help either. I am sad, knowing I will get no valuable answer to all my thoughts other than I should study more (there is no time, I have to go to work). Please do not think of me as a complete nutcase.

[Dimac]

When magnets are put on or near beehives they build their comb structure around the magnetic field lines of the local magnet. Just to give an idea of how much they rely on magnetic field lines when building their hives, and communicating to each other. (check out a google image search)

[petermiesler]

13:00 The question of biology being "adaptive" to quantum physics seems odd, in light of the reality that the quantum world was what biology evolution evolved out of. Whereas - Adaptivity seems about change and dealing with new challenges and opportunities. Or?

[rashmiranjannayak]

Interesting approach towards fundamental particles and nice discussion with audience, let artificial plant cell to be practical rather than stimulative for protein. Grate attempt.

[theultimatereductionist]

Do relativistic effects, such as relativistic generalizations of the Schrodinger wave equation, have any important observable effects on biology?

[purushottamshinde]

This video is very interesting and useful for teachers.

[abara]

I think Transistors in CPU`s would be a good a metaphor for the adaptive vs. unavaidable question. They come to a point where the transisotrs are becoming so small that tunneling becomes a real problem. Maybe it comes down to optimization, as in packing as much as possible chlorophyl cells in a leaf thus making them smaller and smaller to a point where tunneling occurs wich would be a boost in the rate in wich energy is transported i guess. Looks like two exact outcomes only one of them is Benefitial and the other one not but the root for both is the same, optimization. I could be totaly wrong of course im just a normal guy intrested in alot of stuff :D

[azamimani]

Is it possible bird's during day use entanglement with earth and night entanglement with special stars?

[IDraganM]

Sounds great, but I got impression that quite a few people are using word "theory" where hypothesis is more appropriate?

if molecules vibrate, can you cancel them out with the oposit frequency?

[davidwilkie]

Many expressions of simple states by inversion of modulated frequencies/paths turns the source of all information into the waves that are "read" as coherent locally. (and why superimposed infinite states "collapse" into coherence) ...in response to the "many worlds theory is rubbish" proclamation.

A full, slightly out of phase universal split is the shaping process of this observable, by turning the spin/reflection property inside out into infinite combinations of infinity, but stil one astronomical "object". Imagination is also localized to a relatively simple hireachic dimensions format.
(How to have your kayak and heat it too)

The structures of spacetime are granulated pulses of delayed instant spin, cause-effect, numerically sequenced in combination states frequencies, "made out" of resonance. The Clay Millennium problems have at least three that seem to be be directly related to the sequence of prime numbers and resulting structures. Gauss suggestion that primes occurrence was an effect of the exponential. It has to be how the now-instant superposition is delayed, shaped, and streched in duration-evolution to fit eternity in the modular states observed. QM

[billdomb]

Bird nav: why not magnetized particles somewhere in the sensorium just like otoliths?

[kennethjohnson]

brillant
thanks for posting this video