量子生物學是利用量子理論來研究生命科學的一門學科。該學科包含利用量子力學研究生物過程和分子動態結構。利用量子生物學研究量子水平的分子動態結構和能量轉移，如果所得結果與宏觀的生物學現象相吻合且很難用其他學科的研究重複，則這一研究結果較為可信。

量子生物化學和光合過程的量子研究已得到了可核查的重要的結果。尤其是光合作用中，對於俘獲光子後發生的分步的、對質子的量子式釋放，利用量子生物學的理論，已獲得顯著的研究進展（相關理論涉及到較為複雜的光系統 II）。此外，實驗和理論的發現都支持酶促反應中包含量子穿隧機制。將能量轉化為化學能（可用於化學轉化）的生物學過程在實質上都是量子力學過程。這些過程包含化學反應、光俘獲、電子激發態的形成、激發能的轉移和化學過程（如光合作用及細胞呼吸）中電子及質子（氫離子）的轉移。量子生物學以量子力學效應為根據，藉助數學計算，對生物學相互作用進行模擬。奧地利出生的量子物理學家和數理生物學家埃爾溫・薛丁格早在 1946 年就提出了用量子理論研究遺傳系統的需求，理論生物學家羅伯特・羅森在 1961 年接著給出了一份詳細、正式的研究量子遺傳學的辦法。在這方面的一個仍未解決的存在爭議的問題是：量子效應在生物系統中的非平凡 / 通用角色（即不受限於分子性質）究竟是什麼？然而，新近關於轉錄的研究與轉錄酶對於相干態雙鏈 DNA 的量子信息處理是一致的。



研究內容

相關量子過程被研究的生物學現象主要包括對輻射的頻率特異性吸收（出現在光合作用和視覺系統等內）、化學能到機械能的轉化、動物的磁感應及許多細胞過程中的布朗馬達。該領域還在積極地研究磁場及鳥類導航的量子分析並可能為許多生物體的晝夜節律（生理節律）的研究提供線索。

最近的研究已經確定了在光合作用的光收穫階段，不同的色素的激發態之間的量子相干性和糾纏。儘管這一階段的光合作用效率非常高，但是目前仍不清楚這些量子效應究竟如何，或者是否是生物學上相關的。



參見


* 時間生物學

* 晝夜節律

* 精神 - 肉體的量子問題

* 全腦理論

* 心理科學基金會

* 羅傑・彭羅斯

* 錢百敦

* Alberte Pullman

* Bernard Pullman

* 史都華・哈默洛夫

* Karl Pribram

* Evan Harris Walker

* 量子進化論

* 量子化學電腦程式

* 《生命的量子方面》（_Quantum Aspects of Life_）

* 《生命是什麼》（_What Is Life?_）



參考資料


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注釋



擴展閱讀


* _Atomistic approaches in modern biology : from quantum chemistry to molecular simulations_ by Markus Reiher; L Bertini. Berlin ; New York : Springer, 2007. ISBN 978-3-540-38082-5

* _Molecular structure and dynamics in biology._ by Roman Osman; Guiliano Alagona; Caterina Ghio; International Society for Quantum Biology and Pharmacology.Wiley, 1999. OCLC: 82140679

* _Theoretical chemistry in biology : from molecular structure to functional mechanisms._ by Peter Kollman; Harel Weinstein John Wiley and Sons, 1998. OCLC: 80429626



外部連結


* Theoretical and Computational Biophysics Group, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign （頁面存檔備份，存於網際網路檔案館）

* "The Spooky World of Quantum Biology"

* 量子力學解釋光合作用效率 （頁面存檔備份，存於網際網路檔案館）