Bioelectricity, the subtle energy that animates us all, has been a topic of speculation for centuries. It's a guiding force that shapes, heals, and powers Life itself. Yet, something so foundational to Life's most vital functions has been consistently overlooked in the scientific community. We'll examine why the study of bioelectricity may have been underappreciated below, but the key idea is that it has been overshadowed by an emphasis on the biochemical view of the world, so research was never adequately resourced.
Like the study of bioelectricity, the study of quantum biology is underdeveloped (Aiello, 2023). Quantum Biology studies how quantum mechanical phenomena—such as superposition, entanglement, tunneling, and coherence—affect and underpin biological processes at the molecular and cellular levels. This underdevelopment is due primarily to the challenges of integrating quantum mechanics with biological systems, as well as limited funding and interdisciplinary collaboration, hindering progress in both fields.
Interestingly, a quantum biological perspective is necessary to understand bioelectricity, as certain bioelectric phenomena cannot be adequately explained using classical physics alone. Maybe a new field could be created: quantum bioelectricity. A definition of quantum bioelectricity could be the study of how quantum mechanical principles influence and regulate bioelectric signals within living organisms.
Historically overlooked areas of study might require a new approach to flourish, and for this reason, it's worth considering how quantum bioelectricity might be better served in the space of Decentralized Science. If you're unfamiliar with Decentralized Science, or DeSci, it takes some of the principles and technologies from the decentralized finance spaces and applies them to the process of conducting science. From hypothesis formation to real-world application, decentralized science is carried out transparently and collaboratively, emphasizing innovation and impact. I think of it as an "internet-native" way to do science.
Decentralized Autonomous Organizations, or DAOs, focus on specific areas of research, allowing science that might be rejected by Traditional Science (TradSci) entities to become fundable and earnable, given that enough people want to see the research conducted. Each DAO has its own governance model, but generally, anyone can become a member of a DAO by purchasing a share in the DAO's tokens. If you want to help shape the DAO, you can even participate in governance activities by voting on proposals using governance tokens. Quantum Biology DAO, for instance, is a newly formed DAO focusing on, as the name would suggest, furthering the field of Quantum Biology.
A renaissance of the quantum bioelectric variety could be imminent, and, in my humble opinion, it's fitting that DeSci catalyzes this renaissance, transforming nearly all aspects of our understanding of Life.
The discovery of DNA's double helix structure in the 1950s and subsequent breakthroughs in molecular biology captivated the scientific community, directing vast financial resources and research efforts toward understanding the genetic code. Fields like genomics and proteomics gained traction due to their immediate relevance to understanding heredity, disease, and cellular mechanisms. Simultaneously, cell chemical signaling pathways garnered attention, further solidifying the dominance of genetics and biochemistry.
Another reason it has been overlooked is the complexity of examining how electrical signals move and interact within living organisms. Measuring and manipulating bioelectric signals requires highly specialized, real-time tools such as microelectrode arrays (MEAs) and voltage-sensitive dyes, which have their limitations. While MEAs can detect electrical activity on the surface of cells and tissues, they fail to capture deeper, more complex bioelectric phenomena that occur within tissues or across large networks of cells (Fröhlich, 2014). In molecular biology, static molecular structures can be sequenced or analyzed. This isn't the case with bioelectricity, where dynamic electrical processes need continuous, precise observation. Without more advanced and refined technologies, our understanding of the electrome is hampered.
Bioelectricity has also often been viewed as an incidental byproduct of biochemical processes rather than an active regulator of biological systems. This perception has limited both funding and research into bioelectricity as an independent mechanism despite its vast potential in fields like regenerative medicine and cancer treatment. For these reasons, the money and mindshare needed to build tools to advance our understanding of bioelectricity was severely limited. Remarkably, between 2000 and 2019, there were ten times as many bioengineering publications focused on mechanical and chemical cues compared to bioelectrical cues (Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News, 2023). While researchers have emphasized the significance of the biochemical over the bioelectric, recent findings are beginning to reveal bioelectricity's critical regulatory role in cellular functions.
You might be somewhat versed on the fundamentals of quantum physics—concepts like superposition, entanglement, quantum tunneling, and quantum coherence. Have you thought about the implications for a field rooted in classical mechanics? Traditionally, biologists have believed the behavior of cells and molecules is governed by predictable, macroscopic laws. Yet, some questions about how things really work have been unanswered. This is where quantum biology might be of use. Below is a primer on key ideas in quantum physics and how they might apply to biology.
Key Concepts of Quantum Biology:
Quantum Superposition: Superposition is the ability of a quantum system to exist in multiple states at once. In biological systems, this might allow molecules or ions to "explore" different energy states simultaneously, affecting processes like bioelectric signaling and ion distribution in cells. For example, during bioelectric gradient formation, superposition could allow ions to be in multiple positions within a gradient, optimizing their distribution for cellular functions like wound healing or development (McLaughlin, 2023).
Quantum Tunneling: Quantum tunneling describes a quantum particle's ability to penetrate and move through an energy barrier, even when its own kinetic energy is insufficient to overcome the barrier. It's like being able to walk through a hill, rather than climbing up and over it. This effect, absent in classical physics, arises from the wave-like properties of particles at quantum scales, allowing them to "tunnel" through barriers in ways that defy classical expectations. This phenomenon is particularly relevant in ion transport across cell membranes, where ions may traverse membrane channels more efficiently through tunneling, which in turn supports efficient bioelectric currents crucial for neural activity, tissue regeneration, and other cellular processes (Qaswal, 2019).
Quantum Coherence: Coherence refers to a quantum system's ability to exist in multiple states at once while maintaining stable relationships between those states. In biological energy transfer, such as in photosynthesis, coherence allows for highly efficient energy migration across molecules. This may also apply to the transfer of electrical signals within cells, where quantum coherence could enhance the transmission of bioelectric signals across networks of cells (Matarèse, 2023).
Quantum Entanglement: Entanglement occurs when particles become interconnected in such a way that the state of one instantly influences the state of another, no matter how far apart they are. While entanglement is less explored in biological systems, some theories propose that quantum entanglement could influence cellular signaling and coordination between distant cells, potentially playing a role in the regulation of bioelectric fields across tissues. (Matarèse, 2023).
By integrating these quantum phenomena into biological contexts, quantum biology provides a new lens through which to view bioelectric processes. As researchers begin to bridge quantum mechanics and cellular functions, we may uncover how weak magnetic fields or quantum effects—previously thought to be confined to the world of particles—might regulate complex behaviors in living organisms.
The Quantum Biology DAO, newly launched on October 14, 2024, "accelerates the quantum biology field through community building, open governance, scientific experimentation, research grants, and IP development." The DAO is a part of bio. xyz's cohort 2, an incubator for BioDAOs.
A recent preprint study published on bioRxiv by researchers affiliated with the Quantum Biology DAO examines the impact of weak magnetic fields on the development of frog embryos. The study reveals that embryos exposed to a hypomagnetic environment—one with significantly reduced magnetic field strength—developed more rapidly than those in a normal geomagnetic field. This accelerated development suggests that even small variations in magnetic fields can influence key biological processes. T
Quantum Biology DAO will expand the research on weak magnetic field effects by developing quantum microscopes to study quantum phenomena in real time. For instance, it's already been established that scientists can use light to detect quantum states in protein complexes (Engel, 2007). According to their website, Quantum Biology DAO will discover if these quantum states also exist inside living cells by observing very weak magnetic effects in biology at incredibly fast speeds—down to billionths of a second. To do this, they plan to build the following quantum microscopy setup:
Optical Spin Microscopes: optical microscopes, the kind of microscope that comes to most people's minds, use light and high-powered lenses to examine very small objects. Quantum Biology DAO will advance this further by integrating coils and radio-frequency (RF) microchips, allowing them to manipulate the magnetic and RF fields, meaning they can influence spin states in biological specimens. By exposing proteins and cells to weak magnetic fields, Quantum Biology DAO can study how altering spin states affects biological functions.
Electrophysiology Microscope: allows scientists to study how cells use electricity and simultaneously detect tiny magnetic properties (called spin) inside those cells. It lets researchers see the electrical signals in cells and observe quantum-level magnetic features at the same time. Like the optical spin microscopes, Quantum Biology DAO will couple their electrophysiology microscopy set up with coils and RF fields, allowing them to manipulate ion channels using weak magnetic fields.
Electron Spin Resonance Scanning Tunneling Microscope (ESR-STM): makes it possible to study how single atoms behave magnetically by combining the techniques of Electron Spin Resonance (ESR) and Scanning Tunneling Microscopy (STM). Here are some of the innovations to ESR-STMs Quantum Biology DAO will explore:
Operating at room temperature: A limitation of existing ESR-STMs is that they were originally developed to study inorganic materials, so they only operate under ultra-high vacuum and at very low temperatures. In contrast, Quantum Biology DAOs ESR-STM will operate at room temperature.
Investigate Chiral-Induced Spin Sensitivity: Traditional ESR-STM models don't focus on chiral molecules like DNA or proteins with a "handedness" or spin orientation, a phenomenon Quantum Biology DAO wants to explore further.
Manipulate physiological processes: Like the prior quantum microscopes, integrating RF microchips and coils will allow researchers to manipulate physiological processes.
For more information on what Quantum Bio DAO plans to accomplish, look at their roadmap.
One of the greatest challenges for emerging fields like quantum bioelectricity has been the chronic lack of funding and infrastructure to support innovative research. Historically, the scientific community and funding bodies have funneled resources into well-established areas like genetics and biochemistry, leaving other promising fields, such as bioelectricity or quantum biology, underfunded and underexplored. DeSci offers a solution to this imbalance by leveraging decentralized funding models to support research that traditional institutions often overlook or even outright stifle. By allowing researchers to propose and fund projects directly through decentralized platforms, DeSci opens up new opportunities for frontier research to be conducted without institutional bias or hindrance.
The future success of the Quantum Biology DAO could be an excellent example of how DeSci can facilitate funding for underrepresented scientific fields. DAOs enable communities of scientists and enthusiasts to pool resources and fund research collectively. This community-driven model bypasses funding bottlenecks in academia, democratizing access to funding and fostering transparency in the research process. By decentralizing decision-making, DAOs encourage experimentation in areas like bioelectricity and quantum biology (and maybe even quantum bioelectricity), which have struggled to gain traction under traditional funding models.
To learn more about DeSci, read my essays on the DeSci Solution and the DeSci Framework.
What if the scientific discoveries that come from an emergent field like Quantum Bioelectricity completely transform what we know about the human body? Or life itself? We might look back on the pre-quantum-bioelectric era as the dark ages for medicine before we moved towards a non-invasive and highly-targeted approach to healing. What if it unlocked our ability to reverse aging, cure diseases that were previously incurable, repair major organs... or regenerate limbs? What if we better understood consciousness itself or the bioelectric fields we share with all life, deepening our sense of interconnectedness?
We need to move beyond the fixation of the biochemical and explore the power (pun intended) of the bioelectric. For that matter, the power of the quantum. As it presently stands, the DeSci framework is our best chance at seeing both to fruition.
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https://builtin.com/software-engineering-perspectives/superposition
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