Abstract

CONCEPTS OF QUANTUM BIOLOGY: A SCIENTIFIC BRIEF REVIEW ON PHOTOSYNTHESIS AND OLFACTION

Mona Patel*, Harsha Patel, Shweta Mevada and Ojash Patel

ABSTRACT

Biological systems are dynamical, constantly exchanging energy and matter with the environment in order to maintain the non-equilibrium state synonymous with living. Developments in observational techniques have allowed us to study biological dynamics on increasingly small scales. The idea that quantum-mechanical phenomena can play nontrivial roles in biology has fascinated researchers for a century. In physics and chemistry, a quantum is a discrete packet of energy or matter. The term quantum also means the minimum value of a physical property involved in an interaction. Quantum chemistry is a very powerful tool to study the properties of molecules and their reactions. Quantum biology is an emerging field of research that concerns itself with the experimental and theoretical exploration of non-trivial quantum phenomena in biological systems. The field of quantum biology has rapidly developed in recent years to challenge us to rethink biological processes such as the magneto reception of Earth‟s magnetic field that allows birds to migrate, how enzymes are able to accelerate reactions at astonishing speeds, and why photosynthesis in plants is near to 100% efficient. Such studies have revealed evidence of quantum mechanical effects, which cannot be accounted for by classical physics, in a range of biological processes. Quantum biology is the study of such processes. Here we review some examples of such effects, including light-harvesting in photosynthesis, vision, electron- and proton-tunnelling, olfactory sensing, and magneto detection. Two living processes are considered in this review: the transfer of energy (photosynthetic energy capture) and a sensory signal (olfaction).

Keywords: Quantum, photosynthesis, electron tunnelling, proton tunnelling, magneto reception, enzyme catalysis, olfaction, magneto detection.