2023-08-03 14:45:54
The new research marks a milestone in the nascent field of quantum biology.
An international team made up of Ofek Vardi and Yossi Paltiel, from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel, among others, has verified the influence of nuclear spin on biological processes. This discovery contradicts long-held assumptions and opens up exciting possibilities for breakthroughs in biotechnology and quantum biology.
Nuclear spin has long been believed to have no influence on biological processes. However, recent discoveries indicate that in this sense certain isotopes behave differently due to their nuclear spin. The team focused on the stable oxygen isotopes (oxygen-16, oxygen-17, and oxygen-18) and found that nuclear spin significantly affects oxygen dynamics, particularly its transport, in situations where chirality results. decisive.
Chirality is the distinctive orientation of some types of molecules. Simply explained, this means that the molecule can take one of two forms, “right-handed” or “left-handed”, one being like a mirror reflection of the other. The “right-handed” and “left-handed” forms of some molecules can exhibit strikingly different properties. For example, one chiral version of a certain compound smells like lemon, and the other like orange.
Researchers have been studying the “strange” behavior of tiny particles in living things, finding some points where quantum effects modify biological processes. For example, quantum effects on the flight of migratory birds may help some to orient themselves during long journeys. In plants, the efficient use of sunlight as energy is affected by quantum effects.
This connection between the tiny world of particles and that of living beings probably dates back several billion years, when life began and specially shaped molecules appeared thanks to their chirality. Chirality is an important parameter because often only molecules with the correct chiral form can perform a certain function that is needed for the correct biochemical functioning of living things.
The key, the authors of the new study have discovered, is spin. Depending on chirality, molecules can interact differently with particles based on their spin, creating a phenomenon called “chirality-induced spin selectivity.”
Spin affects tiny particles, such as electrons, in biological processes involving molecules in which chirality is relevant. The authors of the new study wanted to see if spin also affects larger particles, such as ions and molecules that provide the basis for biological transport.
To find out, they did experiments that showed that spin influences how water behaves in cells, causing water to enter cells at different rates and react in different ways.
The new study shows that spin influences how water behaves in cells. (Illustration: PNAS)
The findings show that nuclear spin plays a crucial role in biological processes, suggesting that its manipulation could lead to innovative applications in biotechnology and quantum biology. This could revolutionize isotope fractionation processes and open up new possibilities in fields such as nuclear magnetic resonance technology.
The study is titled “Nuclear spin effects in biological processes”. And it has been published in the academic journal PNAS (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences). (Source: NCYT from Amazings)
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