Quantum Processes in Physical and Biological Systems

Martin J. Dudziak

José Antonio Fornés

Stuart R. Hameroff, Travis J. A. Craddock, Jack A. Tuszyński

This paper presents a historical perspective on the development and application of quantum physics methodology beyond physics, especially in biology and in the area of consciousness studies. Quantum physics provides a conceptual framework for the structural aspects of biological systems and processes via quantum chemistry. In recent years individual biological phenomena such as photosynthesis and bird navigation have been experimentally and theoretically analyzed using quantum methods building conceptual foundations for quantum biology. Since consciousness is attributed to human (and possibly animal) mind, quantum underpinnings of cognitive processes are a logical extension. Several proposals, especially the Orch OR hypothesis, have been put forth in an effort to introduce a scientific basis to the theory of consciousness. At the center of these approaches are microtubules as the substrate on which conscious processes in terms of quantum coherence and entanglement can be built. Additionally, Quantum Metabolism, quantum processes in ion channels and quantum effects in sensory stimulation are discussed in this connection. We discuss the challenges and merits related to quantum consciousness approaches as well as their potential extensions.

Alexander W. Stern

Lloyd Demetrius, Menas C. Kafatos, Jack A. Tuszyński

A fundamental tenet in the study of organization in inanimate and living matter is the quantization of energy. In inanimate systems where temperature is a critical organizing parameter, the quantum of action is an atomic-level phenomenon described in terms of Planck’s constant, first defined as the ratio of the photon energy to the frequency of its electromagnetic wave. In living systems, where the cycle time of metabolic processes is the organizing variable, the quantum of action is a cell-level phenomenon described in terms of an analog of Planck’s constant, namely the ratio of the metabolic energy to the frequency of the enzymatic or mitochondrial oscillators. This chapter elucidates the relation between these two measures of quantum action. We review the role of Planck’s constant in physics, first, as a fundamental parameter for explaining the empirical laws of black body radiation, and its more modern developments. We also describe the theoretical and empirical rationale for the cellular-level quanta. We exploit this analysis to elucidate how energy transformation in physical processes, where temperature is the organizing parameter, relates to energy transduction in biological processes, which are essentially isothermal. We then link the cell level to the organismal level of metabolism and obtain a scaling relationship for the biological Planck quantum of action as a function of the size of the biological system studied. Finally, we discuss these ideas in light of quantum-like processes in biological organisms and systems: identifying generalized quantum principles that apply not just at microscopic levels but also at macroscopic levels, relevant to biology, where we used to consider classical physics alone to be relevant. This chapter provides a direct analogy between quantization of energy in solids first demonstrated by Debye and biochemical energy production in cellular mitochondria. The Planck constant proved to be a fundamental constant of matter as it appeared both in the Schoedinger equation and the Heisenberg uncertainty principle. Recently, quantum biology has garnered major scientific interest, but so far it has only focused on physical quantum effects in biological systems, such as photosynthesis, not truly biological quantization. We point to metabolism, as an indispensable process that underlies all life forms’ existence, and show that its quantization can be better understood in terms of a corresponding quantum of action. We estimate its value, compare it to Planck’s quantum of action in physics and explain their different scales. We hypothesize that energy quantization of metabolism in biological systems is an important conceptual advance that can provide insights into both healthy and pathological physiology.

Mohammad Ashrafuzzaman

Biology of life relies on underlying mechanisms active at the biomolecular level. Most of them are dictated by physical laws and principles. Classical physics principles work behind gross-scale bioprocesses, while in single biomolecular phenomena, inter-biomolecular interactions, etc., there is a considerable amount of quantum mechanical phenomena active. Standard quantum mechanics interpretations may be utilized to pinpoint hidden mechanisms as well as to understand underlying principles leading to the creation of the gross structural integrity of biological systems. Slow structural alterations causing regulation of functional moieties, hence raising mutations, may also be understood using quantum mechanics principles. This chapter is dedicated to addressing most of the quantum mechanical aspects of biological life using standard approaches that may generally explain quantum phenomena in biological phases.