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Quantum biology: explore quantum dynamics in biological systems

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Abstract

In recent years, people have been extending the concepts developed in quantum information science to explore quantum dynamics in biological systems. The existence of quantum coherence in certain biological processes has been identified in a number of experiments. The role of quantum coherence and quantum entanglement has been carefully investigated, which suggests that quantum effect is important in these processes although in a more complicated way. In the mean time, these findings urge the development of new experiment methodology to reveal more biological scenarios in which quantum effect exists and plays a non-trivial role. In this article, we review the latest progress in the field of quantum biology and discuss the key challenges in further development of quantum biology.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Physics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China

    Jianming Cai

  2. Center of Quantum Optics Science, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Wuhan, 430074, China

    Jianming Cai

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  1. Jianming Cai
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Correspondence to Jianming Cai.

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Cai, J. Quantum biology: explore quantum dynamics in biological systems. Sci. China Inf. Sci. 59, 081302 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11432-016-5592-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11432-016-5592-y

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