Name: How quantum biology might explain life's biggest questions
Uploaded: 2015-08-24T15:09:22Z
Duration: 15 min 59 s
Description: How does a robin know to fly south? The answer might be weirder than you think: Quantum physics may be involved. Jim Al-Khalili rounds up the extremely new, extremely strange world of quantum biology, where something Einstein once called "spooky action at a distance" helps birds navigate, and quantum effects might explain the origin of life itself.

How does a robin know to fly south? The answer might be weirder than you think: Quantum physics may be involved. Jim Al-Khalili rounds up the extremely new, extremely strange world of quantum biology, where something Einstein once called "spooky action at a distance" helps birds navigate, and quantum effects might explain the origin of life itself.

How quantum biology might explain life's biggest questions

Quantum biology explores whether the bizarre rules of quantum mechanics help explain life’s most puzzling phenomena. Recent experiments reveal that quantum effects may underlie vital processes like photosynthesis and even birds’ navigation, not just the chemistry of atoms and molecules. In one striking example, the European robin might use quantum entanglement within its eyes to sense Earth’s weak magnetic field. These discoveries suggest life may harness quantum tricks that were long thought too fragile for the messy environment inside cells.