Physics
Calculations show that nerve fibres in the brain could emit pairs of entangled particles, and this quantum phenomenon might explain how different parts of the brain work together
Do quantum interactions help brain cells stay in sync?
Andriy Onufriyenko/Getty Images
Nerve fibres in the brain could produce pairs of particles linked by quantum entanglement. If backed by experimental observations, this phenomenon could explain how millions of cells in the brain synchronise their activity to make it function.
“When a brain is active, millions of neurons fire simultaneously,” says Yong-Cong Chen at Shanghai University in China. Doing so requires even distant cells to coordinate their timing, which has led some researchers to wonder if this coordination could be due to what Einstein called “spooky action at a distance”…