Research conducted by chemistry professor Ron Naaman of the Weizmann Institute's Chemical Physics Department in collaboration with German scientists reveals that both biologists and physicists believe quantum systems and biological nano-particles resemble apples and oranges.
The research paper was published recently in Science, proving that a biological molecule DNA can detect the different quantum states called spin.
Quantum activity exists in individual atoms or nano-molecules. Researchers need to cool the material to absolute zero temperature. When the system goes beyond a particular size or temperature, its quantum characteristics perish. According to Naaman, 'Biological molecules are large and operate at warm temperatures.
Biological molecules are chiral, being either left or right-handed. They cannot be forced on top of each other. Double-stranded DNA are twice the chiral, in the single strand format and the helices' bend direction. Naaman says some chiral DNA can communicate differently with the two individual spins. The research team included Professor Zeev Vager of the Particle Physics and Astrophysics Department, postdoctoral student Tal Markus, and Professor Helmut Zacharias and his team at the University of M?nster, Germany.
Self-assembling, individual layers of DNA were bound to a gold substrate. The DNA was exposed to mixed electrons with both the spin directions. The DNA responded sharply to the electrons with one spin and it did not react with the others. The DNA efficiency was directly proportional to its length in selecting electrons having the target spin. Individual strands and distorted DNA bits did not display this ability. These discoveries reveal that the chiral quality helps the DNA to select electrons with particular spins, which governs the spin of electrons passing through it.
Source: http://www.weizmann.ac.il/