#ignoring quantum biophysics is done at our health's peril

[13thpythagoras]

“Even if a particle does not have the energy to pass over a potential barrier, there is still some probability to pass through the barrier by quantum tunneling.”

Consider that you have a quantum mechanical particle, say an electron, trapped in a potential barrier, with not enough potential energy to pass over it. Classical mechanics say that the electron can't cross the barrier. But, quantum mechanics say that there is a certain and non-zero probability of passing through the barrier by tunneling.

It is one of the important concepts in quantum biology for ongoing and future research. But why biologists are concerned about it?

In 1964, it was proposed by Per-Olov Löwdin that quantum tunneling can occur within the hydrogen bonds joining Watson-Crick nucleotide pairs. Since then, quantum tunneling has been explored as a mechanism at work in enzyme catalysis, olfaction, and other biological processes.

A post by @biophypriyanka