The science & the system.

Quantum biology is an emerging scientific field that explores how life depends on quantum phenomena.

At its core, it studies how superposition, electron spin, entanglement, and quantum tunneling can influence the molecules, cells, and systems of living organisms.

Researchers are now finding quantum effects at work in photosynthesis, bird navigation, enzyme catalysis, and possibly the sense of smell — phenomena that classical biology has struggled to fully explain.

Soon after the birth of quantum physics in the 1920s and 30s, scientists began searching for ways to apply quantum ideas in biology. Erwin Schrödinger, one of the fathers of quantum theory, wrote "What is Life?" in 1944, postulating the need for quantum mechanics to explain heredity, prior to the discovery of DNA. In the 1960s and 70s, researchers began finding examples of natural phenomena, including tunneling in enzymes and bird navigation, which depended on quantum phenomena. Now, researchers are aiming to construct new instruments to directly probe quantum states and help unlock the quantum secrets of life.

There are many "flavors" of quantum biology — from birds navigating magnetic fields, to quantum coherence in photosynthesis, to theories of consciousness in microtubules.

At the Quantum Biology DAO, we're especially focused on experimentally testable quantum effects with real-world relevance and clear theoretical grounding.

So far, we've been particularly interested in two areas: low-field magnetic effects and the radical pair mechanism. These make specific predictions and could explain phenomena from tadpole development to human fertility.