One of the goals of DeSci is to bring together communities, including:
• scientists advancing research
• crypto communities building new coordination tools
There is enormous potential at the intersection of the two. Let’s build the bridge.
Why should we care about magnetic field effects in biology?
>> Dr. Brian Ross from the Quantum Biology Institute breaks down their recent micropublication on MagLOV2’s magnetic sensitivity in living cells + related work in the video below.
youtu.be/xAo_RF4l0Lk
If true, this would be one of the clearest examples of quantum physics shaping a biological behavior. Understanding these mechanisms could reveal entirely new ways biology senses and responds to its environment.
Even Earth’s weak magnetic field can slightly influence how this reaction unfolds.
That signal may be processed by the visual system, allowing birds to use the magnetic field as a compass while navigating.
One leading idea is that they detect Earth’s magnetic field using a light-sensitive protein in their eyes called cryptochrome.
When blue light activates cryptochrome, it can create a radical pair whose electron spins are sensitive to magnetic fields.
Birds might be navigating with quantum physics.
Every year migratory birds travel thousands of miles with remarkable accuracy. How they sense direction has puzzled scientists for decades.
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Tomorrow we're hosting a virtual event with the @biophysicalsoc.bsky.social exploring the intersection of quantum biology and biophysics.
Join us for research talks and panels on quantum biology and the future of scientific collaboration.
📅 March 13th
⏰ 1–3pm ET | 10am–12pm PT
Registration below!
How about the "bacterioscope?" --> a novel instrument that uses magnetic fields and synchronized fluorescence imaging to watch living bacteria respond in real time?
10/ This first micropublication is just the beginning.
Understanding how proteins respond to magnetic fields may help uncover natural magnetosensitive molecules and how magnetic fields can be used to influence biological function.
9/ On the molecular side, future work will also mutate residues around the flavin inside the protein.
Goal: understand how small changes in chemical environment shape magnetic sensitivity.
This helps reveal the molecular basis of magnetosensitivity in proteins.
8/ So far, measurements were only done at magnetic fields stronger than Earth’s field.
Next: test how the protein behaves in extremely weak or near-zero magnetic fields.
New instrumentation is already being built, including a hypomagnetic setup.
7/ Conclusion: the study shows that MagLOV2 behaves in a way consistent with radical-pair theory when exposed to weak magnetic fields, now demonstrated inside living cells.
That makes it a useful experimental system for studying magnetic-field-sensitive chemistry in biology.
6/ In the radical-pair mechanism, light excitation can trigger an electron transfer that creates a pair of radicals whose electron spins are correlated.
External magnetic fields can influence how those spins evolve, which can change the outcome of the chemical process.
5/ Panel B tracks fluorescence from the same bacterial colony at two magnetic field strengths.
When the field turns ON (shaded regions), fluorescence increases at 1.0 mT but decreases at 2.5 mT.
A sign flip consistent with predictions from radical-pair quantum models.
4/ At very low magnetic field strengths, fluorescence increases as the field becomes stronger. However, at moderately higher field strengths, the trend reverses: fluorescence decreases as the magnetic field strength increases.
3/ To do this, the team built a custom magneto-fluorescence imaging platform they call the "Bacterioscope."
It combines controlled magnetic fields, synchronized illumination, and fluorescence imaging to track how living bacterial colonies respond to magnetic fields in real time.
2/ In this study, the fluorescent protein MagLOV2 was characterized for how its brightness changes depending on the strength of an applied external magnetic field in living bacterial cells.
We have been funding the @quantumbioorg.bsky.social since its launch.
Their new micropublication shows that MagLOV2 exhibits magnetic field dependent fluorescence in living bacterial cells, with behavior consistent with the radical pair mechanism.
Breakdown of the work below 🧵 1/10
Choose quantum biology.
Science advances not only by discovering new phenomena, but by developing new ways to think about them.
>> Biological sensitivity to weak magnetic fields has been observed for decades! <<
What remains unclear is the mechanism. Let's figure it out.
What if the default in science was: methods open, data shared, results visible as they happen?
What if we could open up research to allow for faster feedback, discoveries that don't stop at one lab, and real-time collaboration across researchers?
The science doesn't change. The feedback loop does.
Interested in discussing science and quantum biology?
The Science Working Group is a mix of people from different backgrounds who meet weekly to discuss papers and ideas, explore where the field is headed, bring scientific context into DAO discussions, and more.
Join us: quantumbiology.community
“The main bottleneck of modern science is not talent or tools. It is process.”
This piece explores how science could move faster if we shared results sooner, tested ideas in smaller steps, and focused more on learning than publishing.
If you’re curious, give it a read!
2/ The winning essays tackle questions about how quantum phenomena might operate in living systems, offering thoughtful perspectives on where the field could be headed.
Congratulations to all eight winners, and a special nod to our ecosystem’s own Dr. Michael Montague for earning third place.
1/ >> News from the world of quantum biology.
This essay competition recently announced its winners, and it reflects the growing energy around the field. When nearly a hundred thinkers from across the globe engage seriously with this question, it shows that quantum biology is drawing attention.
New friends at the Quantum Biology Institute!
The Institute hosted a lab tour as part of an event organized by Founders, Friends, and Fermentation, bringing together founders, researchers, and operators interested in quantum biology, biomanufacturing, and the future of the bioeconomy.
These findings contribute to ongoing efforts to experimentally investigate magnetic-field-sensitive processes under physiologically relevant conditions.
The results suggest that the sensitivity of MagLOV2 to magnetic fields is consistent with an underlying quantum mechanism that operates in the complex environment of a living cell.
This complex response is consistent with established models of a process known as the “radical pair mechanism”, which is a leading hypothesis for how biological molecules can be affected by weak magnetic fields.
However, at moderately higher field strengths, the trend exhibits non-monotonic behavior: the fluorescence switches from increasing to decreasing as the magnetic field strength increases, before eventually leveling off.
