usually, nature has already done it, and better, than we have
Most of our scientific research seems at times to be figuring out how to do what nature already does - and better. Here’s the best example of this I’ve seen in a while: Birds Are Best at Holding Quantum Entanglement
European robins can maintain quantum entanglement in their eyes a full 20 microseconds longer than the best laboratory systems, say physicists investigating how birds may use quantum effects to “see” Earth’s magnetic field.
To get a sense of how amazing this is, consider:
Since then, research has revealed the existence of special optical cells containing a protein called cryptochrome. When a photon enters the eye, it hits cryptochrome, giving a boost of energy to electrons that exist in a state of quantum entanglement - spatially separated, but each able to affect the other.
One of the electrons migrates a few nanometers away, where it feels a slightly different magnetic field than its partner. Depending on how the magnetic field alters the electron’s spin, different chemical reactions are produced. In theory, the products of many such reactions across a bird’s eye could create a picture of Earth’s magnetic field as a varying pattern of light and dark.
However, these quantum states are notoriously fragile. Even in laboratory systems, atoms are cooled to near-absolute zero temperatures to maintain entanglement for more than a few thousandths of a second. Biological systems would seem too warm and wet to hold quantum states for long, yet that’s exactly what they appear to do.
Quantum states. In a bird’s eye. Wow.
Over and over again, all my life, I have been struck by how beautiful, complex, and fragile all forms of life are.
Originally published at What's that you said?. You can comment here or there.