Workshop "Quantum Biology: Current Status and Opportunities"
17 - 18 September 2012, University of Surrey, UK
Evidence has recently emerged that plants use a form of quantum computing to calculate how best to direct energy through their photosynthetic apparatus. Scientists have also discovered that birds, insects and other animals appear to use entanglement (what Einstein called "spooky action at a distance" to detect the earth's magnetic field). And there is solid evidence that enzymes, those metabolic workhorses that drive much of the action in our cells, use the process known as quantum tunnelling to accelerate chemical reactions.
The workshop sponsored by the Institute of Advanced Studies at the University of Surrey, BBSRC (Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council) and MILES Programme at Surrey (Models and Mathematics in Life and Social Sciences) proved to be a great success and was attended by some of the leading researchers in this exciting new interdisciplinary field from across the world.
As well as Surrey's own Professors, Jim Al-Khalili (a theretical physicist) and Johnjoe McFadden (a microbiologist), speakers included Paul Davies (Arizona), Vlatko Vedral (Oxford), Greg Engel (Chicago), Greg Scholes (Toronto), Thorsten Ritz (UC Irvine), Alexandra Olaya-Castro (UCL), Nigel Scrutton (Manchester) and Jennifer Brooks (Harvard). Topics covered included reports on recent experiments in biology and the latest theoretical calculations to model a range of biological processes.
In bringing together such a diverse group of scientists, the workshop was hugely successful in sowing the seeds for future collaborations and potential funding opportunities for further research. Most importantly, it has established the work being carried out at Surrey on the international scene.
A Workshop Report with programme is available here
www.ias.surrey.ac.uk/workshops/quantumbiology/report.php
In order to consolidate and grow local research interest in the field, the University of Surrey will be holding regular research seminars on quantum biology throughout the current academic year, funded by BBSRC, given by some of the leading researchers in the field.
A dedicated Quantum Biology website featuring forthcoming events and news will be available soon. Please check Workshop Report page for updates.
SPONSORS:
Institute of Advanced Studies
www.ias.surrey.ac.uk
BBSRC
www.bbsrc.ac.uk
MILES
www.miles.surey.ac.uk
