The Quantum Frontier of Biology: Coherence, Complexity, and Consciousness

BistreHalibut

This essay explores the emerging field of quantum biology, which investigates whether quantum phenomena—such as coherence, tunneling, and entanglement—play active, functional roles in living systems. Drawing on key examples from photosynthesis, avian magnetoreception, enzyme catalysis, and olfaction, the essay examines how life may exploit quantum effects to enhance efficiency, adaptability, and information processing. It further considers the speculative yet provocative possibility that quantum processes contribute to brain function and consciousness. Integrating insights from quantum thermodynamics and information theory, the essay argues that understanding life’s complexity may require a quantum framework—potentially redefining biology at its most fundamental level.

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Michael Montague

This is not exactly an "essay" rather it is an almost unordered list of facts and references with very little of the thinking of the author beyond whatever selection they put into what got included or not in that list.

More generally, complexity and information are important aspects of biological systems, but there is no intrinsic reason to presume that those aspects use or would need quantum based information processing. Look at consciousness... As was shown just earlier this year, Consciousness requires a bandwidth of a mere 10 bits per second. That would tend to suggest that nothing like a Quantum Advantage is needed to support it.

Cowen, T. (2024). The Unbearable Slowness of Being: Why do we live at 10 bits/s?. https://arxiv.org/pdf/2408.10234

marcovici alexandru

depending on the reader this list might be read out smoothly or not

here i will make an observation about time machine written by hg well- an old novel that assume an unique timeline for the things to come

language in itself (that the novel has been written) sic /touche) is a time machine

maybe how we speak has an importance this so for example in the year 4500 there will be flying car city powered by neutrino this makes room for only one possibilities instead if if place more nuances like assuming xyz version / scenario five of the year 4500 will contain this and that

what is then a time machine language of unicellular life to be ontopic ?

language can be defined then, like something that is being released and reused latter- [ version 1 ] later [version 2 ] later [version 3] later [version 4]

the reference iswith slowness of being is relevant for wriiting and deciphering times that on a place like this are like a arbitrary choice , the depth of an essay (book) is dependent on how much time one allocate to redecipher

is this valid for life ,? yes longer times means evolution (tough there are species that are the same after millions of years )