3 ms·
How important quantum physics is for biological systems is in my a very important question for the coming decades. It could turn out to be not important at all
by da-bacon 15y ago
How important quantum physics is for biological systems is in my a very important question for the coming decades. It could turn out to be not important at all except for isolated cases like this. It could turn out to be important, but easy to simulate on a classical computer, and so amenable to study using today's tools. It could turn out to be very important and ubiquitous, so much so that large scale simulation is intractable. If that turns out to be true, then there is a strong case to be made for building quantum computers to attack this problem. I think most scientists think the first or second option is most likely, but if the last opportunity occurs this will represent a major shift.