A quantum origin of life? -- Quantum mechanics and emergence -- Quantum coherence and the search for the first replicator -- Ultrafast quantum dynamics in photosynthesis -- Modelling quantum decoherence in biomolecules -- Molecular evolution -- Memory depends on the cytoskeleton, but is it quantum? -- Quantum metabolism and allometric scaling relations in biology -- Spectroscopy of the genetic code -- Towards understanding the origin of genetic languages -- Can arbitrary quantum systems undergo self-replication? -- A semi-quantum version of the game of life -- Evolutionary stability in quantum games -- Quantum transmemetic intelligence -- Dreams versus reality : plenary debate session on quantum computing -- Plenary debate: quantum effects in biology : trivial or not? -- Nontrivial quantum effects in biology : a skeptical physicists' view -- That's life! : the geometry of p electron clouds.

Quantum tunnelling is one of the strangest phenomena in chemistry, where we see the wave nature of atoms acting in “impossible” ways. By letting molecules pass through the kinetic barrier instead of over it, this effect can lead to chemical reactions even close to the absolute zero, to atypical spectroscopic observations, to bizarre selectivity, or to colossal isotopic effects. Quantum mechanical tunnelling observations might be infrequent in chemistry, but it permeates through all its disciplines producing remarkable chemical outcomes. For that reason, the 21st century has seen a great increase in theoretical and experimental findings involving molecular tunnelling effects, as well as in novel techniques that permit their accurate predictions and analysis. Including experimental, computational and theoretical chapters, from the physical and organic to the biochemistry fields, from the applied to the academic arenas, this new book provides a broad and conceptual perspective on tunnelling reactions and how to study them. Quantum Tunnelling in Molecules is the obligatory stop for both the specialist and those new to this world.

In recent years, there has been an explosion in knowledge and research associated with the field of enzyme catalysis and H-tunneling. Rich in its breath and depth, this introduction to modern theories and methods of study is suitable for experienced researchers those new to the subject. Edited by two leading experts, and bringing together the foremost practitioners in the field, this up-to-date account of a rapidly developing field sits at the interface between biology, chemistry and physics. It covers computational, kinetic and structural analysis of tunnelling and the synergy in combining these methods (with a major focus on H-tunneling reactions in enzyme systems). The book starts with a brief overview of proton and electron transfer history by Nobel Laureate, Rudolph A. Marcus. The reader is then guided through chapters covering almost every aspect of reactions in enzyme catalysis ranging from descriptions of the relevant quantum theory and quantum/classical theoretical methodology to the description of experimental results. The theoretical interpretation of these large systems includes both quantum mechanical and statistical mechanical computations, as well as simple more approximate models. Most of the chapters focus on enzymatic catalysis of hydride, proton and H" transfer, an example of the latter being proton coupled electron transfer. There is also a chapter on electron transfer in proteins. This is timely since the theoretical framework developed fifty years ago for treating electron transfers has now been adapted to H-transfers and electron transfers in proteins. Accessible in style, this book is suitable for a wide audience but will be particularly useful to advanced level undergraduates, postgraduates and early postdoctoral workers.

Explores the role of quantum mechanics in biology for advanced undergraduate and graduate students in physics, biology and chemistry.

New York Times bestseller • Life on the Edge alters our understanding of our world's fundamental dynamics through the use of quantum mechanics. Life is the most extraordinary phenomenon in the known universe; but how did it come to be? Even in an age of cloning and artificial biology, the remarkable truth remains: nobody has ever made anything living entirely out of dead material. Life remains the only way to make life. Are we still missing a vital ingredient in its creation? Using first-hand experience at the cutting edge of science, Jim Al-Khalili and Johnjoe Macfadden reveal that missing ingredient to be quantum mechanics. Drawing on recent ground-breaking experiments around the world, each chapter in Life on the Edge illustrates one of life's puzzles: How do migrating birds know where to go? How do we really smell the scent of a rose? How do our genes copy themselves with such precision? Life on the Edge accessibly reveals how quantum mechanics can answer these probing questions of the universe. Guiding the reader through the rapidly unfolding discoveries of the last few years, Al-Khalili and McFadden describe the explosive new field of quantum biology and its potentially revolutionary applications, while offering insights into the biggest puzzle of all: what is life? As they brilliantly demonstrate in these groundbreaking pages, life exists on the quantum edge. Winner, Stephen Hawking Medal for Science Communication