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Coloured transmission electron micrograph (TEM) of chloroplasts from the yellow portion of a yellow/green variegated Coleus blumei plant. Chloroplasts are the sites of photosynthesis, the process that synthesises carbohydrates from carbon dioxide and water using sunlight. The structure of a variegated chloroplast is slightly different from that of a normal green chloroplast. The granal stacks, formed from parallel thylakoids (membranes, bright lines), that contain the chlorophyll pigments are less ordered in the variegated chloroplast. The pigments themselves are also slightly different. Magnification: x14,300 when printed at 10cm wide.

From photosynthesis to navigation, life may exploit quantum effects

25 August 2021

There is tantalising evidence to suggest that photosynthesis in some bacteria depends on quantum coherence and birds’ amazing feats of navigation rely on entanglement
Can quantum effects in the brain explain consciousness?

Can quantum effects in the brain explain consciousness?

25 August 2021

New research reveals hints of quantum states in tiny proteins called microtubules inside brain cells. If the results stand up, the idea that consciousness is quantum might come in from the cold

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