Opening Doors to a Quantum Theory of Life, Part 1: Properties of Life at the Quantum Level

Doug Marman

Abstract: The idea that the key to life might be a quantum process is not new. Niels Bohr, Erwin Schrödinger, and Werner Heisenberg found signs of life at the quantum level. What they saw was useful, but not enough to solve the mystery of how life works.
Two recent interpretations of quantum mechanics add new pieces to the puzzle: Quantum states act the same as what biologists call “anticipation” when the future possibilities of superposition states influence the outcome. And quantum wave function collapse acts the same way as what biologists call “purposeful actions” when a choice is made.

This paper, the first in the series, “Opening Doors to a Quantum Theory of Life” (ODQTL), explores in detail the above two properties that are traditionally seen by biologists as being unique to life. In fact, many surprising traits of life are present at the quantum level. The idea that quanta might be alive is explored and shown to be a valid interpretation.

A detailed theory of life is presented in Part 2 of this ODQTL series. It is published in this same issue of Integral Review (Marman, 2023b). The new theory explains how cellular life might have emerged from quantum processes. It offers a Catalyst-First Hypothesis and shows why catalysts might be the real drivers of life, not metabolism, RNA, or accidents such as lightning striking primordial soup.

The new theory that emerges from this series of papers proposes that life is not based on the right combination of ingredients; it is a mutually responsive relationship between a life form and its habitat. We cannot take this relationship apart to study how life works because taking it apart kills the process of life. Quantum theory can explain this irreducible property as an entangled state, but new interpretations of quantum mechanics are needed to show why quantum principles must also be actively involved in relationships between organisms. This insight suggests that, when trying to understand life, context is more important than content. As a result, the science of quantum biology can expand to include interactions between organisms, opening doors that take us beyond quantum mechanics and chemistry, and perhaps even beyond biology to include psychology, as Heisenberg predicted.