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Life on the Edge: The Coming of Age of Quantum Biology
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Book Club 2015 > October 2015 - Life on the Edge

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message 1: by Betsy, co-mod (new)

Betsy | 2168 comments Mod
For October 2015, we will be reading Life on the Edge: The Coming of Age of Quantum Biology. Please use this thread to post questions, comments, and reviews, at any time.


message 2: by David (last edited Aug 30, 2015 01:26PM) (new) - rated it 4 stars

David Rubenstein (davidrubenstein) | 1043 comments Mod
There is a nice TED Talk, given by one of the authors, on the subject of quantum biology.


message 3: by Katy (new) - added it

Katy (kathy_h) | 181 comments David wrote: "There is a nice TED Talk, given by one of the authors, on the subject of quantum biology."

Excellent - now I'm intrigued by the book. Hope to join in the read for October.


Raymunda (raymundaj) David wrote: "There is a nice TED Talk, given by one of the authors, on the subject of quantum biology."

Very interesting, thank you!


aPriL does feral sometimes  (cheshirescratch) | 354 comments I started the book today. It appears to be written in an interesting yet intelligent manner for the general reader such as myself! Good thing considering the subject is quantum biology!

How DO these robins migrate using a magnetic sense, proven through tests, bio-mechanically, if so far such an organ or process cannot be physically located? Very curious mystery.


aPriL does feral sometimes  (cheshirescratch) | 354 comments Page 74-75 was a little tough. After three readthroughs, I snapped, uh, it was a snap.....

Good thing there are pictures.


aPriL does feral sometimes  (cheshirescratch) | 354 comments I went to school in the 1960's and 1970's. I had science classes. I remember the artist-drawn pictures of atoms back then having electron particles orbiting a nucleus. I don't remember any class bringing up 'quantum' anything, except for vague explanations of light and slit experiments, despite apparently it was a known phenomena and being studied. This book is describing stuff discovered from 1976 to now, in very clear words. Best of all, it has a picture of an electron being smeared out in an orbit. I understood more clearly what the wave/particle spookiness/probability location problem is.

It is a very very cool book.


Raymunda (raymundaj) I'm enjoying this book a lot. I'm a biologist and revisiting all these molecules and biological processes from a "quantum mechanics" point of view is being just an amazing experience!
Many of the cases explained in the book were "science mysteries" when I was in college, so for me it's being a really enriching read.


aPriL does feral sometimes  (cheshirescratch) | 354 comments The plant chlorophyl process of light to sugars was an eye-opener!


message 10: by aPriL does feral sometimes (last edited Oct 12, 2015 09:00PM) (new) - rated it 5 stars

aPriL does feral sometimes  (cheshirescratch) | 354 comments HAHAHAHAHAHA!?! OMG! Entangled electrons, singlet spin or triplet spin states, superpositions, magnetic fields upsetting balance probabilities, free radicals - toss the chemical dice...

: O

*screaming wildly* (on page 186)




Ok. Ok. Thankfully, I passed Statistics in college....


aPriL does feral sometimes  (cheshirescratch) | 354 comments Voltage gates and sodium ion short circuits - first time I ever read about how electric current actually flows in nerves! (on page 250)


aPriL does feral sometimes  (cheshirescratch) | 354 comments I finished! I know my brain is a little bigger now....


message 13: by Katy (new) - added it

Katy (kathy_h) | 181 comments I just started, and I enjoyed the first chapter.


message 14: by Nancy (new)

Nancy Mills (nancyfaym) | 489 comments Well I am a little behind ... but you all have talked me into it ... I'm going to read this book!!


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