University of Chicago biological qubits study

The University of Chicago study behind this week’s social posts is real, but the posts compress several technical claims into a broader headline than the paper itself makes. On August 20, 2025, University of Chicago researchers said they had turned enhanced yellow fluorescent protein, or EYFP, into a functioning quantum bit, or qubit, and published the work in Nature. (pme.uchicago.edu) The paper describes a protein-based spin qubit that can be produced by cells and measured with optical and microwave methods, not a demonstration that human cells operate as full quantum computers. (nature.com) Nature’s abstract says the team realized “an optically addressable spin qubit” in EYFP and used a near-infrared laser pulse for triggered readout with up to 20% spin contrast. PubMed’s summary of the paper says the researchers expressed the qubit in mammalian cells while maintaining contrast and coherent control, and also demonstrated optically detected magnetic resonance in bacterial cells at room temperature with contrast up to 8%. (pme.uchicago.edu) ### Did the study actually show “human cells can function like quantum computers”? The Nature paper says EYFP can act as a qubit inside cells, which is narrower than saying cells function like quantum computers. (nature.com) A qubit is a building block used in quantum technologies, but the University of Chicago release framed this result primarily as a route to quantum sensing in biology rather than as a working biological quantum computer. David Awschalom, a co-principal investigator and director of the Chicago Quantum Exchange, said in the university release that the goal was to use “a biological system itself and develop it into a qubit.” Peter Maurer, the other co-principal investigator, said the findings enable “new ways for quantum sensing inside living systems.” (nature.com) (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) ### What protein did the researchers use, and why does that matter? The study used enhanced yellow fluorescent protein, a genetically encodable fluorescent protein already familiar in cell biology. (pme.uchicago.edu) University of Chicago said proteins of this class have been used for decades to study processes inside cells, which is part of why the team focused on them. Nature’s summary says the EYFP system is optically addressable, meaning it can be read with light, and the paper reports coherent microwave control of the protein spin. (pme.uchicago.edu) That matters because the protein can be encoded genetically and produced by cells themselves, rather than inserted as a larger external sensor, according to the university release and Physics World’s report on the study. (nature.com) ### What did the experiments show inside cells? PubMed’s summary says the researchers expressed the qubit in mammalian cells and maintained contrast and coherent control despite the intracellular environment. (pme.uchicago.edu) The same summary says they demonstrated magnetic resonance in bacterial cells at room temperature, while the microwave-control coherence measurement of 16 ± 2 microseconds was reported at liquid-nitrogen temperatures. (nature.com) The University of Chicago release says protein qubits can be built directly by cells and positioned with atomic precision. That release also said the work opens possibilities for precision measurements in tissues, single cells or individual molecules. (pme.uchicago.edu) (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) ### So what is the practical use the researchers are pointing to? University of Chicago described the protein qubit as a quantum sensor that could detect minute changes in biological systems. (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov) Nature’s March 2026 news feature said fluorescent proteins with a quantum upgrade could offer “unprecedented views inside cells,” framing the work as part of a push toward quantum sensing in biology. (pme.uchicago.edu) Peter Maurer told Physics World that existing sensors can be hard to position at well-defined sites inside living cells and are often much larger than proteins. (pme.uchicago.edu) The protein-based approach is aimed at that measurement problem, according to the university and journal accounts. ### Where can readers check the original study and named researchers? Nature published the paper, “A fluorescent-protein spin qubit,” on August 20, 2025. The author list shown by the Gagliardi Group at the University of Chicago includes J. (nature.com) S. Feder, B. S. Soloway, L. Gagliardi, D. D. Awschalom and P. C. Maurer. (physicsworld.com) The University of Chicago’s Pritzker School of Molecular Engineering and the main university news site both posted releases on the same work in August 2025, and Nature published a follow-up news feature on March 3, 2026 about “quantum proteins” in biology. (pme.uchicago.edu) (gagliardigroup.uchicago.edu) (nature.com)