New Scientist reports quantum biology experiments

New Scientist reported on May 20 that researchers are probing whether quantum effects inside living systems could help explain some biological responses to light, electric fields and magnetic fields. The report, by Elise Cutts, said the work sits inside the still-contested field of quantum biology, where scientists are testing whether coherence, tunnelling and other quantum phenomena can persist long enough in cells to affect function. New Scientist said the experiments do not validate “quantum therapies” marketed on social media, but do point to laboratory work on electron transfer and related molecular processes that some researchers say could eventually inform medicine. ### What are researchers actually testing in these experiments? Quantum biology researchers are testing whether effects usually associated with atoms and subatomic particles can shape biological machinery such as electron transport, energy transfer and chemical sensing. A 2026 review in *Clinical and Translational Medicine* said the main mechanisms under study include coherence, tunnelling and spin dynamics across systems including photosynthesis, DNA, mitochondria and sensory biology. (newscientist.com) A recent *Science Advances* paper reported optical control of ultrafast electron-transfer dynamics in the protein flavodoxin, showing that a biological electron-transfer process could be manipulated with shaped light pulses. That work focused on protein electron transfer rather than a therapy, but it is the kind of laboratory result that researchers use to argue that quantum behavior can be measured in biomolecules. (onlinelibrary.wiley.com) ### Which specific biological processes keep coming up? Electron transfer is one of the central processes in the field. A recent *Biochimica et Biophysica Acta* paper said scanning tunnelling microscopy and single-protein junction measurements have shown conductance values and resonant tunnelling features that suggest delocalized quantum transport in proteins, beyond older hopping-only descriptions. (science.org) Protein motion is another recurring theme. Earlier work summarized in the electron-transfer literature has described how protein dynamics can change electronic coupling between redox centers, affecting how charges move through biological molecules. Newer modeling and measurement papers continue to frame protein conformational change as part of the problem researchers are trying to solve when they ask whether a quantum effect remains biologically relevant rather than disappearing into thermal noise. (sciencedirect.com) ### Why does this get linked to health treatments? Margaret Ahmad of Sorbonne University told New Scientist that some clinical interventions using light, electric fields and magnetic fields appear to work even though their mechanisms remain unclear, saying, “We have something that works; we don’t really know why.” New Scientist said that uncertainty has pushed some scientists to ask whether quantum-level responses to electricity or magnetism could be part of the explanation in at least some cases. (sciencedirect.com) The 2026 review article went further, outlining possible future applications such as coherence-lifetime sensors, tunnelling-based mutational signatures, mitochondrial redox modulators and DNA-stabilising agents. Those proposals were presented as a research agenda rather than a set of approved treatments. ### How settled is any of this? Clarice Aiello of the Quantum Biology Institute told New Scientist that researchers have “never been able to unambiguously prove or refute” whether fragile quantum states can persist long enough in living systems to matter. (newscientist.com) That remains the central dispute in the field. New Scientist’s report appeared in issue 3596, dated May 23, 2026, and the article remains the clearest published account tying current quantum-biology experiments to possible medical applications. (onlinelibrary.wiley.com) The next step is likely to come from named laboratory studies on specific systems — such as electron transfer in proteins, mitochondrial redox chemistry or field-sensitive biomolecules — rather than from clinical claims alone. (newscientist.com 1) (newscientist.com 2)