Biology might not be quantum, but its math is quantumlike
Complex biological networks do not maintain true quantum states, but their emergent collective behaviors can be mathematically described using quantumlike mathematics.
read it Offers a clear, nuanced look at why quantum biology's focus is shifting from physical quantum effects to classical mathematical equivalents.
summary
Early enthusiasm for quantum biology suggested that warm, wet biological systems utilized delicate quantum coherence. However, subsequent findings revealed these effects are often classical resonances rather than true quantum states. Researchers now propose that complex classical networks can naturally generate emergent behaviors that mimic quantum mathematics without requiring actual quantum mechanics. This framework offers new ways to model complex biological and artificial systems using quantumlike math.
key points
- Initial excitement around quantum coherence in photosynthesis was later reattributed to classical molecular bond resonances.
- Complex networks of classical oscillators can produce emergent states mathematically describable as vectors in a Hilbert space.
- Mathematical links between classical networks and quantum states represent distinct physical realities rather than underlying quantum mechanisms in biology.
who should read it
Scientists, physicists, and scientifically curious readers interested in the intersection of quantum mechanics, math, and biology.
discussion positive
consensus
Commenters generally agree that while biology is fundamentally quantum at the atomic level, claiming life actively exploits delicate quantum effects like macroscopic coherence is usually overhyped.
pushback
Some commenters argue the term quantum biology is unfairly dismissed because molecular conformations and enzyme tunneling inherently rely on quantum probability distributions.
I feel like the author was either trying to write to a pretty lay audience or didn't understand the broad applicability of quantum mechanics. There is no threshold either where things are "classical" or "quantum". The systems that may be satisfactorily described by classical mechanics are just those in which the Planck constant may have a value of zero. While in modeling a system using quantum mechanics, it has a finite value.
Computational chemistry is based on different approximation methods for evaluating the interactions of a molecule with another. These methods work well, and as you can …
Clarifies that there is no hard boundary between classical and quantum mechanics, noting that classical systems are simply approximations where Planck constant approaches zero.
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