full transcript

From the Ted Talk by Jim Al-Khalili: How quantum biology might explain life's biggest questions

Unscramble the Blue Letters


I'd like to introduce you to an emerging area of science, one that is still speculative but hugely ecntiixg, and certainly one that's gowirng very rapidly. Quantum biology asks a very simple question: Does qunuatm mechanics — that weird and wonderful and powerful theory of the subatomic wrlod of amtos and molecules that underpins so much of modern physics and chemistry — also play a role inside the living cell? In other words: Are there processes, mechanisms, phenomena in living organisms that can only be explained with a helping hand from quantum mechanics? Now, quantum biology isn't new; it's been around since the eraly 1930s. But it's only in the last decade or so that careful exeienmtrps — in boirtchmsiey labs, using spectroscopy — have shown very clear, firm evidence that there are certain speciifc mechanisms that require quantum mechanics to explain them.

Open Cloze


I'd like to introduce you to an emerging area of science, one that is still speculative but hugely ________, and certainly one that's _______ very rapidly. Quantum biology asks a very simple question: Does _______ mechanics — that weird and wonderful and powerful theory of the subatomic _____ of _____ and molecules that underpins so much of modern physics and chemistry — also play a role inside the living cell? In other words: Are there processes, mechanisms, phenomena in living organisms that can only be explained with a helping hand from quantum mechanics? Now, quantum biology isn't new; it's been around since the _____ 1930s. But it's only in the last decade or so that careful ___________ — in ____________ labs, using spectroscopy — have shown very clear, firm evidence that there are certain ________ mechanisms that require quantum mechanics to explain them.

Solution


  1. early
  2. exciting
  3. specific
  4. biochemistry
  5. growing
  6. world
  7. experiments
  8. quantum
  9. atoms

Original Text


I'd like to introduce you to an emerging area of science, one that is still speculative but hugely exciting, and certainly one that's growing very rapidly. Quantum biology asks a very simple question: Does quantum mechanics — that weird and wonderful and powerful theory of the subatomic world of atoms and molecules that underpins so much of modern physics and chemistry — also play a role inside the living cell? In other words: Are there processes, mechanisms, phenomena in living organisms that can only be explained with a helping hand from quantum mechanics? Now, quantum biology isn't new; it's been around since the early 1930s. But it's only in the last decade or so that careful experiments — in biochemistry labs, using spectroscopy — have shown very clear, firm evidence that there are certain specific mechanisms that require quantum mechanics to explain them.

Frequently Occurring Word Combinations


ngrams of length 2

collocation frequency
quantum mechanics 17
quantum tunneling 8
quantum biology 7
living cell 3
chemical reactions 3
takes place 3
quantum coherence 3
magnetic field 3
living organisms 2
require quantum 2
important role 2
quantum world 2
quantum skier 2
inanimate matter 2
mechanics plays 2
white balls 2
multiple pathways 2
quantum entanglement 2

ngrams of length 3

collocation frequency
require quantum mechanics 2
quantum mechanics plays 2

Important Words


  1. area
  2. asks
  3. atoms
  4. biochemistry
  5. biology
  6. careful
  7. cell
  8. chemistry
  9. clear
  10. decade
  11. early
  12. emerging
  13. evidence
  14. exciting
  15. experiments
  16. explain
  17. explained
  18. firm
  19. growing
  20. hand
  21. helping
  22. hugely
  23. introduce
  24. labs
  25. living
  26. mechanics
  27. mechanisms
  28. modern
  29. molecules
  30. organisms
  31. phenomena
  32. physics
  33. play
  34. powerful
  35. processes
  36. quantum
  37. rapidly
  38. require
  39. role
  40. science
  41. shown
  42. simple
  43. specific
  44. spectroscopy
  45. speculative
  46. subatomic
  47. theory
  48. underpins
  49. weird
  50. wonderful
  51. world