Quantum process in living cells
- 1 Department of Physics, St. John’s University, New York, USA
Abstract
Coherent quantum effects have been confirmed for several biological processes. These processes exist in the environment of a warm wet cell where decoherence can be a serious concern. Here we propose a mechanism whereby quantum coherence may extend through the water matrix of a cell. The model is based on coherent waves of established ultrafast energy trans fers in water. Computations based on the model are found to agree with several experimental results and numerical and descriptive predictions are presented. We compute wave speed, ~156 km/s, and wavelength, ~9.3 nm, and determine that these waves retain local coherence. Close agreements are found for the dipole moment of water dimers, results of microwave radiation on yeast, and the Kleiber law of metabolic rates. The theory requires that a spherical cell must have a minimum diameter of ~ 20 nm to accommodate a stand ing energy wave. The quantum properties of the modelsuggest that cellular chemistry favors reactions that support perpetuation of the energy waves.
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