The biological reactions of life obey quantum physics

You've probably already heard about protons, they are everywhere, from the pH of our soaps to the core of cellular life, but what scientists have now discovered could change everything we know about them, for the first time researchers observed protons in biological systems behaving according to the laws of quantum physics, according to this new study that reveals that life at its most basic level is not only driven by chemistry, but also by quantum phenomena. The research was led by scientists from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem with the support of researchers from the Weizmann Institute and Benan University. The focus of the study was chiral biological crystals which are asymmetric structures found in proteins such as lysozyme, what they discovered was quite interesting.

Protons do not move in isolation, their movement is directly linked to the spin of electrons, a quantum property similar to a tiny magnetic field. When researchers injected electrons with specific spins into the crystals, they managed to control the mobility of protons. In simpler and more understandable terms, scientists observed that protons, those tiny positive particles in the nucleus of atoms, are not only jumping from molecule to molecule chemically in our body as we thought, they also follow the rules of quantum physics, that strange world where Particles can be in two places at the same time, influence each other from a distance and where everything works more like probabilities than certainties. The goal of this study is to understand how exactly life operates at its deepest level. Until now, biochemists and biologists thought that the processes of molecules were just chemical reactions, but if protons are being guided by quantum phenomena such as the spin of electrons and atomic vibrations, that means that the very basis of life is more complex and intelligent than we imagined.

And although this phenomenon does not directly involve the reinforcement of the importance of understanding and simulating natural phenomena accurately, the discovery could influence the design of future bioinspired algorithms and neural networks that mimic natural mechanisms, further uniting physical biology and advanced computing. Imagine based on this study that in the future we develop bioelectronic devices that use this quantum transport of protons to generate energy more efficiently or that create new medical therapies that manipulate cellular processes with atomic precision. Furthermore, understanding these mechanisms can inspire bioquantum computers, that is, systems that combine the logic of quantum computers with the strategies of nature, much more efficient and sustainable. Deep down, this discovery shows us that the universe of life is a mysterious intertwining between biology and physics and that perhaps one day we can use that not only to cure diseases, but to revolutionize energy, communication and even our relationship with the very concept of a living being.