Slashdot Mirror
Creating a Quantum Superposition of Living Things
KentuckyFC writes "Having created quantum superpositions of photons, atoms, and even molecules, scientists are currently preparing to do the same for larger objects — namely viruses. The technique will involve storing a virus in a vacuum and then cooling it to its quantum-mechanical ground state in a microcavity. Zapping the virus with a laser then leaves it in a superposition of its ground state and an excited one. That's no easy task, however. The virus will have to survive the vacuum, behave like a dielectric, and appear transparent to the laser light, which would otherwise tear it apart. Now a group of researchers has worked out that several viruses look capable of surviving the superposition process, including the common flu virus and the tobacco mosaic virus. They point out that after creating the superposition, scientists will be able to perform the Schrodinger's Cat experiment for the first time, which should be fun (but less so for the virus)."
Well technically they will not be able to perform Shroedinger cat's experiment since viruses in biology are not defined as living things.
They will have to evolve their experiments to be able to superposition cells at the least.
But all nitpicking aside, its still quite a nice experiment.
Biological viruses are like complex SQL injections that cause the host software to send out copies of the injection code. However, they are not executable on their own.
Interesting, but I think we need a car analogy to really clear up the issue.
Prov 9:8 Do not rebuke mockers or they will hate you; rebuke the wise and they will love you.
So it would be like a car who parks in a factory and uses it engine to power the factory to make more cars?
If something is so important that you feel the need to post it on the internet... It probably isn't that important.
Fantastic idea! I do try to be a kinder, gentler grammar/spelling nazi.
Last time I checked (admittedly, that was five years ago in AP Bio), viruses still didn't fit biology's qualifications for life. They don't maintain homeostasis. Viruses aren't "alive." You can't really quantify if an virus is alive or dead - only "active" or "dormant."
Let me put it to you theoretical types in your own language. The virus ALREADY exists in a superposition of states - those of "alive" and "dead" - and you can't collapse that wavefunction until biology solves the Schroedinger Virus Equation for the system.