New Discovery: Photosynthesis uses quantum effects (opens in new tab)

(cosmosmagazine.com)

7 pointsmvandemar16y ago4 comments

4 comments

4 comments · 3 top-level

n8agrin16y ago· 1 in thread

Does the nature know about and use quantum effects more than we do?[sic]

Yes.

Also the last paragraph is interesting. From another scientist:

"Based on past experience, I predict this work will be misrepresented by those who desperately want to believe that bizarre quantum effects such as entanglement are crucial to biomolecules being able to function in an optimum manner. I see no evidence for such claims in this experimental data."

mvandemarOP16y ago

It is important to note though that he is not claiming that he sees no evidence for the claims made in the article, he's just predicting that others will make claims that are not supported based on the same data.

idlewords16y ago

Well, light is a quantum effect, so...

A more accurate way to put it is that long-lived, coherent quantum states appear to play a role in photosynthesis.

This is surprising because in the laboratory this kind of coherence requires super low temperatures.

JunkDNA16y ago

For anyone with access to Nature, I found the Editor's summary considerably more readable than the actual research article (since I'm not all that well-versed in quantum mechanics and biophysics):

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v463/n7281/full/463614a...

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