How Do Birds Find Their Way During Migration? The Emergent Field of Quantum Biology!

Last week I covered the basics of Quantum Mechanics and the strange attributes we’ve discovered about matter through it’s research. What this highlights first is how truly bizarre and inexplicable our reality really is, and how little we understand about the truth of reality. As we saw in the experiment with the double slit, it demonstrates how the mere observation of an experiment can change the outcome. As well it shows how the electron itself can be described as being in many different positions at one point, similar to the cat in schrodingers example who is both dead and alive. It furthermore proves that when we get down to the smallest matter we know going past the cell, or the atom to the almost weightless electron we can’t even truly say we understand its properties or how it works, rather these particles are the most confusing and act sporadically and indecisively in their environments. It raises questions about the nature of what we consider physical reality, or if these indecisive actions of a particle on the nanoscopic level can have effect systems on a more macroscopic scale.

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QUANTUM BIOLOGY
The ideology of some of our physicists, and biologists alike have turned to attempting to determine is the ramifications of quantum action on our physiology. A new emerging field, Quantum Biology, attempts to detail and identify examples of quantum mechanics in biological systems as is observed with the Keystone realization of the theory, the migratory pattern of birds. Birds have been suggested to take advantage of Quantum Entanglement in recent years as European robins have been described to take advantage of Quantum entanglement to see earth’s magnetic fields. Using a special protein called cryptochrome, they can bounce light in their eyes to move electrons within them to test the magnetic field. Two electrons exist in their brain, entangled on a quantum level. These particles are subject to the different pulls of the earth's magnetic fields, and through the difference in pulls perceived on each electron, the birds are able to visualize a path to their destination. These events all happen unknowingly to the bird and the chemical reactions which occur are responsible for sending them in the right direction.

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Many biologists have now attempted to attribute the capabilities of migratory birds to the realm of Quantum Mechanics. In these birds, it is suggested that two electrons exist in their brain, entangled on a quantum level. These particles are subject to the magnetic forces which orient the planet, and through the difference in pulls perceived on each electron, the birds are able to visualize a path to their destination. Researchers in this new field are now attempting to determine how Quantum Events like entanglement, leaping or tunneling occurs and impact biological function. But before we look at where these things occur in nature we have to understand some of the different examples of Quantum Mechanics.

Quantum Leap
In a Quantum Leap, an electron jumps from one quantum state to the other, that is it jumps to a higher energy level within the shell itself, without needing any additional energy or contribution. If you were to more common terms it would be like if Goku in Dragonball z simply became a Super Saiyan without needing to charge up. There was even another TV show which related to this topic called “Quantum Leap” about a scientist stuck in time after leaping into a time machine.

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Quantum Tunneling
Quantum Tunneling Is explained through Heisenbergs uncertainty principle and the particle-wave duality of matter that I talked about in the earlier experiment. In this phenomenon, a particle may pass through a barrier it is not able to pass in classical physics. For example, if I was able to quantum tunnel my entire body at any time, I would be able to pass through walls and solid material, which classical physics suggests is impossible for me. It is not teleportation but rather like the name infers, a tunneling of the matter through this barrier. The fundamental difference between tunneling and entanglement being there must be movement through the medium, it does not simply appear on the other side.

Quantum Entanglement
Quantum Entanglement, on the other hand, is much more sci-fi, and is considered by many 'true teleportation'. It occurs when a pair or group of particles are created in a way that they are so intricately connected on the quantum level, they are almost the same particle and must even be observed as one system. That is both electrons must be observed together, otherwise if simply one is observed it will interfere with entanglement. When this occurs both particles will react almost as mirrors of each other, no matter where they are in the physical universe. That is if I had a particle in this room and a particle in the room beside us entangled particle would move, even on moon or sun, or another solar system, possibly the universe.

Quantum Stealth
Quantum Stealth More recent, an upcoming new concept, currently being imployed by military. Works by manipulating the wave-duality nature of particles, not reflecting light like traditional camouflage technology, but manipulating the light around a person. No definite explanation of the theory or details of this project have been provided, which leads me to believe this technology may be a hoax. If real, however, it is definitely one crazy piece of technology.

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Next week, in the conclusion to this mini-series on quantum mechanics, I will be going over more examples of how quantum mechanics manifests itself in biological systems. Also, what this might mean for our us and what we might have left to discover about our own Quantum Biology.

For more information about the article and it's content:
Cryptochrome and Magnetoreception: http://www.ks.uiuc.edu/Research/cryptochrome/
Quantum Stealth : http://www.hyperstealth.com/Quantum-Stealth/

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