Biological systems, once thought too chaotic for quantum effects, may be quietly leveraging quantum mechanics to process information faster than anything man-made.
New research suggests this isn’t just happening in brains, but across all life, including bacteria and plants.
Schrödinger’s Legacy Inspires a Quantum Leap
Over 80 years ago, theoretical physicist Erwin Schrödinger delivered a series of influential public lectures at Trinity College Dublin. Drawing from both modern physics and philosophical traditions like Schopenhauer and the Upanishads, these talks were later published in 1944 under the title “What is Life?”
Now, during the 2025 International Year of Quantum Science and Technology, Philip Kurian – a theoretical physicist and founding director of the Quantum Biology Laboratory (QBL) at Howard University in Washington, D.C. – has built on Schrödinger’s foundational ideas.
Using principles of quantum mechanics and recent QBL findings showing quantum optical properties in cytoskeletal filaments, Kurian has proposed a radically updated upper limit on the total information-processing capacity of carbon-based life throughout Earth’s history. His findings, published in Science Advances, also suggest a possible link between this biological limit and the computational bounds of all matter in the observable universe.
“This work connects the dots among the great pillars of twentieth-century physics – thermodynamics, relativity, and quantum mechanics—for a major paradigm shift across the biological sciences, investigating the feasibility and implications of quantum information processing in wetware at ambient temperatures,” said Kurian. “Physicists and cosmologists should wrestle with these findings, especially as they consider the origins of life on Earth and elsewhere in the habitable universe, evolving in concert with the electromagnetic field.”
The Quantum Challenge of Living Systems
The effects of quantum mechanics – the laws of physics that many scientists think apply at only small scales – are sensitive to disturbances. This is why quantum computers must be held at temperatures colder than outer space, and only small objects, such as atoms and molecules, typically display quantum properties. By quantum standards, biological systems are quite hostile environments: they’re warm and chaotic, and even their fundamental components – such as cells – are considered large.
But Kurian’s group last year discovered a distinctly quantum effect in protein polymers in aqueous solution, which survives these challenging conditions at the micron scale, and may also present a way for the brain to protect itself from degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s and related dementias. Their results have suggested new applications and platforms for quantum computing researchers, and they represent a new way of thinking about the relationship between life and quantum mechanics.
In his single-author Science Advances paper, Kurian considered a mere trifecta of overarching assumptions: standard quantum mechanics, the relativistic speed limit set by light, and a matter-dominated universe at critical mass-energy density. “Combined with these rather innocuous premises, the remarkable experimental confirmation of single-photon superradiance in a ubiquitous biological architecture at thermal equilibrium opens up many new lines of inquiry across quantum optics, quantum information theory, condensed matter physics, cosmology, and biophysics,” said Professor Marco Pettini of Aix-Marseille University and the CNRS Center for Theoretical Physics (France), who was not associated with the work.
Quantum Signals at the Speed of Light
The key molecule enabling these remarkable properties is tryptophan, an amino acid found in many proteins that absorbs ultraviolet light and re-emits it at a longer wavelength. Large networks of tryptophan form in microtubules, amyloid fibrils, transmembrane receptors, viral capsids, cilia, centrioles, neurons, and other cellular complexes. The QBL’s confirmation of quantum superradiance in cytoskeletal filaments has the profound consequence that all eukaryotic organisms can use these quantum signals to process information.
To break down food, cells undergoing aerobic respiration use oxygen and generate free radicals, which can emit damaging, high-energy UV light particles. Tryptophan can absorb this ultraviolet light and re-emit it at a lower energy. And, as the QBL study found, very large tryptophan networks can do this even more efficiently and robustly because of their powerful quantum effects.
The standard model for biochemical signaling involves ions moving across cells or membranes, generating spikes in an electrochemical process that takes a few milliseconds for each signal. But neuroscience and other biological researchers have only recently become aware that this isn’t the whole story. Superradiance in these cytoskeletal filaments happens in about a picosecond – a millionth of a microsecond. Their tryptophan networks could be functioning as quantum fiber optics that allow eukaryotic cells to process information billions of times faster than chemical processes alone would allow.
“The implications of Kurian’s insights are staggering,” said Professor Majed Chergui of the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (Switzerland) and Elettra-Sincrotrone Trieste (Italy), who supported the 2024 experimental study. “Quantum biology – in particular our observations of superradiant signatures from standard protein spectroscopy methods, guided by his theory—has the potential to open new vistas for understanding the evolution of living systems, in light of photophysics.”
The Power of Aneural Life
By thinking of biological information processing primarily at the level of the neuron, many scientists overlook the fact that aneural organisms – including bacteria, fungi, and plants, which form the bulk of Earth’s biomass – perform sophisticated computations. And as these organisms have been on our planet for much longer than animals, they constitute the vast majority of Earth’s carbon-based computation.
“There are signatures in the interstellar media and on interplanetary asteroids of similar quantum emitters, which may be precursors to eukaryotic life’s computational advantage,” said Dante Lauretta, professor of planetary science and cosmochemistry at the University of Arizona and director of the Arizona Astrobiology Center, who was not associated with the work. “Kurian’s predictions provide quantitative bounds, beyond the colloquial Drake equation, on how superradiant living systems enhance planetary computing capacity. The remarkable properties of this signaling and information-processing modality could be a game-changer in the study of habitable exoplanets.”
Biology Meets Quantum Tech
This latest analysis has likewise drawn the attention of researchers in quantum computing, because the survival of fragile quantum effects in a “noisy” environment is of great interest to those who want to make quantum information technology more resilient. Kurian has had conversations with several quantum computing researchers who were surprised to find such connections in the biological sciences.
“These new performance comparisons will be of interest to the large community of researchers in open quantum systems and quantum technology,” said Professor Nicolò Defenu of the Federal Institute of Technology (ETH) Zurich in Switzerland, a quantum researcher who was not associated with the work. “It’s really intriguing to see a vital and growing connection between quantum technology and living systems.”
In the Science Advances article, Kurian explains and revisits foundational quantum properties and thermodynamic considerations, from a long line of physicists who made clear the essential link between physics and information. With his group’s discovery of UV-excited qubits in biological fibers, almost all life on Earth has the physical capacity to compute with controllable quantum degrees of freedom, allowing storage and manipulation of quantum information with error correction cycles far outpacing the latest lattice-based surface codes. “And all this in a warm soup! The quantum computing world should take serious notice,” Kurian said.
The work also piqued the attention of quantum physicist Seth Lloyd, a professor of mechanical engineering at MIT and a pioneer in the study of quantum computing and the computational capacity of the universe. “I applaud Dr. Kurian’s bold and imaginative efforts to apply the fundamental physics of computation to the total amount of information processing performed by living systems over the course of life on Earth. It’s good to be reminded that the computation performed by living systems is vastly more powerful than that performed by artificial ones,” Lloyd said.
Life’s Place in the Universe’s Grand Design
“In the era of artificial intelligences and quantum computers, it is important to remember that physical laws restrict all their behaviors,” Kurian said. “And yet, though these stringent physical limits also apply to life’s ability to track, observe, know, and simulate parts of the universe, we can still explore and make sense of the brilliant order within it, as the cosmic story unfolds. It’s awe-inspiring that we get to play such a role.”
Reference: “Computational capacity of life in relation to the universe” by Philip Kurian, 28 March 2025, Science Advances.
DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adt4623
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29 Comments
Though these stringent physical limits also apply to life’s ability to track, observe, know, and simulate parts of the universe, we can still explore and make sense of the brilliant order within it, as the cosmic story unfolds.
VERY GOOD!
Ask the researchers:
1. If there is no God, can a space with inviscid, incompressible, and isotropic ideal fluid characteristics become the protagonist as the cosmic story unfolds？
2. How can space be associated with time?
3. How should we understand the periodicity of spacetime vortices?
4. How do you understand Schrödinger’s cat?
5. How do you understand the spacetime vortices？
6. Are the spin of DNA and microparticles related to spacetime vortices?
7. Can researchers tell me if the topological vortex is spinning to the left or right when you haven’t seen it?
8. Which is easier to understand quantum physics, using a cat or using the spin of topological vortices?
The universe is not algebra, formulas, or fractions. The universe is the superposition, deflection, and entanglement of geometric shapes, the interaction and balance of countless topological vortices and their fractal structures. The value of mathematics lies in its ability to describe the evolution and interactions of these topological structures in scientific language.
The success of Relativity and Quantum Theory lies in their use of mathematical language to describe the different aspects and interactions of topological vortices. Topological vortices are low dimensional spacetime matter. There is a difference between high-dimensional spacetime matter and low dimensional spacetime. It is extremely wrong and irresponsible for physics today to use a cat that is both dead and alive, as an analogy for quantum (which is actually the observable topological spin of spacetime vortex).
Yes, these constructs describe the universe but contrary to Max Tegmark’s mathematical universe hypothesis the universe cares not for our number systems or quantitative inventions.
And to your previous comment about physicality, I would point out that the properties that describe position and spin cannot be explained with any physical paradigm. They are simply informational properties of quantum states.
Applause 🙌👏
@Rowan Brad Quni
This is the most exciting aspect of physics today. Separate the physical paradigm from the informational properties based on mathematics, in order to facilitate imaginative thinking like theology. Are God particles and Devil particles unrelated to time and space? Do they come from heaven or space-time.
This indicate that your so-called physical paradigm is flawed and not constrained by informational properties of quantum states.
I just noticed that this article just came out just a few days ago, I wonder how many people have thoughts same to understand a little bit about it even though we’ve never ever heard about it or thought about it in the same way there telling us that’s all for now, I’m just practicing
Exactly what I was trying to say I think
Welll der!!! Science needs to shift its mentality towards spirituality and not so much faith itself. Spirituality + Science is the clue all you scientists need to come to terms with. For those of us that know the marriage of these two prospectives has always been the fact since…well let’s just say, for me and some very few across this beautiful planet to know and scientists to find out. Peace ✌️
Whatever, dude….
Well written, I completely support your way of thinking.
So we do live in the matrix
Hmmm so the ultraviolet in sunlight causes superadiance in tryotophan, which can form a.photonic computer network imside your sells.
All this time you thought you were getting a tan and vitamin D you were tapping into a vast quantum network???
How did that get lublished in Science Advances?
They used to have the highest standards.
The more they look at quantum effects and what it does, the more they are edging toward the inevitable question of WHY is it this way? How does something so complex happen on such a small scale with such profound impact? The answer is clear to me: because it was designed that way, and I’m not talking about God. These are all the hallmarks of a simulated universe. We are finding that code is the very essence existence, which means in turn that us and everything we see and know are all being simulated in some sort of vast program. But that’s not even the only evidence. Left to our own devices and theoretically operating with free will, humans have repeatedly duplicated this simulation on smaller scales as if we are driven to do so by the very code that makes us tick. Maybe on purpose. Maybe the code just leaks and influences us. But we keep doing it over and over. Why? It is because we can’t help it. How long before we discover too much of this code of the universe and require intervention to keep us from doing things we should not? We will try. Of course we will. Maybe that’s the point. To see how clever we are.
Both Tryptophan and the acknowledgement that we are a collection of quantum particles played a major role in reversing several “early onset” diagnoses.
I utilized all the data at hand rather than making assumptions that dont align with the experiences of myself or others, regardless of whether others had made those connections or not.
Lol you probably need some tryptophan. Trying to insult an an entire institution and it’s unchanged standards just because it doesn’t fit into your fixed beliefs? C’mon..
We are constantly going to measurements and scales.
I give you a simple example of quantum leap.
Imagine a scenario where some one pushes you out of the some height and same distant you are jumping out of the same height.
I call it first one is a lump
And the second one is jump.
Lump action will get hurt more than the Jump action.
What changed is the cybernetics.
Whole sysystem from probability turned into certainty.
Instantly the quantum mechanics re assembled itself and gave a dynamic change.
As I say” an observed pot never boils”
This could be connected to a theory that Roger Penrose and Stuart Hameroff announced in the 90’s it was called: : Orchestrated objective reduction (Orch OR) is a theory postulating that consciousness originates at the quantum level inside neurons (rather than being a product of neural connections).
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Orchestrated_objective_reduction
Yes and as forward-thinking as that was it was supported by logic that has since been validated in fact the neuronal microtubules proposed by Penrose, and supported by this study, are in all living cells.
This is encouraging, but by no means a surprise. Roger Penrose proposed that neurons are quantum activity sites decades ago but this largely has been ignored, even though the conditions in all human cells such as structures called microtubules and cytoplasm itself are excellent shielding against the effects of entropy (decoherence). My own research has been actively investigating how we can learn from nature (biomimicry) to design quantum computers.
I must take issues though with the study’s author claiming that all systems are subject to physical laws: that is simply not true because it would violate what we know about quantum entanglement. The properties that make up physical matter are not themselves physical, they are informational (like DNA manifests its “code” in proteins but we cannot say that genetics are solely in the structure of their carrier).
For the record–so as not to argue with pedants–call “information” whatever you want but it is not space-time. To say otherwise not only contradicts evidence but is simply ignorant: there is more than just “physics” to reality.
VERY GOOD!
There is more than just “physics” to reality, but also theology.
On a different note, low levels of tryptophan are typical amongst populations with low protein intake. do any of you think this might affect a person’s single-photon superradiance?
😲 👍🏽 🔬🔭
I don’t know what I find more insightful and/or hilarious; the article or the broad spectrum of comments… Kidding, the comments consist of exponentially greater entertainment value… By an order of magnitude!
But, in all seriousness, can someone explain to someone who dropped the sciences like a bad habit at University (after finding far more fun bad habits at the bars) why these publications keep releasing the same stories, findings, theoretical conjecture, and, the like; and, deceptively touting them as new, current, and groundbreaking? Anyone?
And, @Bao-Hua they should hire you, the articles would be far more insightful and entertaining!
Bible Student,
Here are five Bible Verses about Purpose and Meaning: If life contributes to universal computation, it may raise questions about purpose. Is life an accidental emergence, or does it play an intrinsic role in the unfolding of cosmic processes? This touches on age-old debates about meaning and intentionality in existence.
Isaiah 45:18 –
“For this is what Jehovah says, The Creator of the heavens, the true God, The One who formed the earth, its Maker who firmly established it, Who did not create it simply for nothing, but formed it to be inhabited: ‘I am Jehovah, and there is no one else.’” (NWT)
Commentary:
Jehovah affirms that creation was intentional, not accidental. The earth was formed with purpose—“to be inhabited.” This directly addresses questions of meaning: life is not a byproduct of chance but the result of divine planning. God did not randomly initiate creation; rather, He designed it with life and purpose at its center, hinting that life plays a meaningful role in the broader cosmic design.
Psalm 19:1-2 –
“The heavens are declaring the glory of God; The skies above proclaim the work of his hands. Day after day their speech bubbles forth, And night after night they reveal knowledge.” (NWT)
Commentary:
Creation itself is not silent—it speaks of purpose and intentionality. The universe “declares” and “reveals knowledge,” suggesting that both cosmic processes and earthly life participate in expressing God’s glory. If life contributes to the unfolding understanding of the universe, it is part of a system designed to reflect God’s nature and wisdom.
Ecclesiastes 3:11 –
“He has made everything beautiful in its time. He has even put eternity in their heart; yet mankind will never find out the work that the true God has made from start to finish.” (NWT)
Commentary:
This verse acknowledges both purpose and mystery. God has planted in humanity a longing for meaning (“eternity in their heart”), suggesting we are wired to seek purpose. Even if we can’t fully understand the cosmic plan, our desire to know indicates that we are part of something greater than ourselves. Our awareness of the universe’s complexity points to our role in a meaningful design.
Romans 8:19-21 –
“For the creation is waiting with eager expectation for the revealing of the sons of God. For the creation was subjected to futility, not by its own will, but through the one who subjected it, on the basis of hope that the creation itself will also be set free from enslavement to corruption and have the glorious freedom of the children of God.” (NWT)
Commentary:
This powerful passage reveals that creation itself has a hopeful purpose. Life—both human and cosmic—is not only part of the current order but also part of its redemption. The universe and life within it are interconnected in a hopeful trajectory. This implies intentionality and destiny, not randomness, in how life participates in the grand unfolding of God’s will.
Ephesians 1:9-10 –
“It was according to his good pleasure that he himself purposed in himself for an administration at the full limit of the appointed times, to gather all things together in the Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth.” (NWT)
Commentary:
God has a clearly stated purpose: to unite everything—heavenly and earthly—under Christ. This verse confirms that life is part of a larger, intentional cosmic process. Far from being accidental, life is included in a divine administration, a plan unfolding with precision and unity. We are participants in a universe filled with spiritual significance.
Bible Principles Based On The Five Verses:
God created life and the universe with intention and purpose.
Creation reflects and communicates the wisdom and glory of God.
Humans are designed with a desire for meaning, which reflects our Creator’s plan.
The universe and life are moving toward a hopeful fulfillment, not futility.
All aspects of existence—spiritual and physical—are meant to be unified under Christ.
Life Applications:
Understanding that life is part of a larger cosmic design gives us profound clarity and comfort. We are not the result of random processes but the intentional creation of a wise and loving God. Our search for meaning is part of how we reflect God’s image. As we explore the universe and our place in it, we should do so with humility and purpose, aligning ourselves with God’s plan through Christ. This perspective invites us to live intentionally, contribute meaningfully to others, and trust that our lives—though small in the grand scheme—are essential to the divine masterpiece.
Why does the title of this article say “Scientists Just Discovered…” when it seems like the work of one person? It makes it seem more credible than it might really be.