Research field
Quantum Biology
Quantum biology investigates non-trivial quantum mechanical phenomena in biological systems — including quantum coherence, tunnelling, entanglement, and spin dynamics — and asks whether evolution has harnessed these effects for functional biological advantage. The field emerged from evidence that quantum coherence persists in photosynthetic light-harvesting complexes at physiological temperature. More robust evidence supports quantum tunnelling in enzyme-catalysed hydrogen transfer reactions. Avian magnetic compass navigation may rely on cryptochrome proteins that generate entangled radical pairs sensitive to Earth's magnetic field — a genuine quantum effect in a biological context. Olfaction via quantum vibration of odorant molecules is another proposed quantum biological effect. The field requires expertise in quantum physics, biophysics, spectroscopy, and biology, making it inherently interdisciplinary. Funding remains modest but is growing through quantum technology programmes and foundational biology institutes interested in understanding life at its physical limits.
Top institutions
University of Surrey
University of Queensland
University of California Berkeley
Max Planck Institute for Biophysics
Technical University of Munich
Subfields
Key technologies
ultrafast 2D electronic spectroscopy
optically detected magnetic resonance
spin chemistry
theoretical quantum biology modelling
cryogenic microscopy
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