Quantum Physics and Life: How We Interact with the World Inside and Around Us

Quantum biology, suggesting that quantum phenomena play a role in biology, has become a topic of vivid discussion. This book presents glimpses of how the physics of atoms and molecules influences, and even controls, the way our cells function and how we interact with our environment. Certainly, biochemistry and molecular biology are the foundations for the biology of living cells, but there might be more--quantum coherence and entanglement influencing the functioning of proteins and enzymes. There are even speculations that our thinking brains make use of quantum entanglement. In the end, however, this book is based on the solid ground of science, presenting the many fascinating phenomena of quantum physics and life without unwarranted mystification. To understand the simple facts of life is a sufficiently interesting and huge challenge that will keep us busy throughout the 21st century.