{"id":295271,"date":"2021-07-09T22:17:44","date_gmt":"2021-07-09T19:17:44","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/how-quantum-bird-brains-could-give-us-superpowers\/"},"modified":"2021-07-09T22:17:44","modified_gmt":"2021-07-09T19:17:44","slug":"how-quantum-bird-brains-could-give-us-superpowers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-quantum-bird-brains-could-give-us-superpowers\/","title":{"rendered":"#How quantum bird brains could give us superpowers"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_84 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2a7acbbac3c\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a2a7acbbac3c\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-quantum-bird-brains-could-give-us-superpowers\/#What\" >What?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-quantum-bird-brains-could-give-us-superpowers\/#Smell-o-vision\" >Smell-o-vision<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-quantum-bird-brains-could-give-us-superpowers\/#Never_ever_ask_for_directions\" >Never, ever ask for directions<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/how-quantum-bird-brains-could-give-us-superpowers\/#Engineers_wanted\" >Engineers wanted<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<p>&#8220;<strong>#How quantum bird brains could give us superpowers<\/strong>&#8221;<br \/>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image?fit=796%2C417&amp;url=https%3A%2F%2Fcdn0.tnwcdn.com%2Fwp-content%2Fblogs.dir%2F1%2Ffiles%2F2021%2F07%2Fbirdbrain.jpg&amp;signature=87a7e2ec0fa34b933bcba871cc968c77\" \/><\/p>\n<div><i>Welcome to Neural\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/watch-movies-tv-seriess\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"8\" title=\"Watch Movies &amp; TV Series\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">series<\/a> on speculative <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/sciencee\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"5\" title=\"Science\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">science<\/a>. Here, we throw caution to the wind and see how far we can push the limits of possibility and imagination as we explore the future of <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/technology\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"4\" title=\"Technology\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">technology<\/a>. <\/i><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhen a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is almost certainly right. When he states that something is impossible, he is very probably wrong.\u201d \u2013 <i>Arthur C Clarke.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>An exciting new study conducted by a huge, international team of researchers indicates some species of bird have a special protein in their eye that exploits quantum mechanics to allow their brains to perceive the Earth\u2019s magnetism.<\/p>\n<p>It\u2019s understandable if you\u2019re not falling out of your chair right now. On the surface, this feels like \u201cduh\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>. It\u2019s fairly common knowledge that migratory birds navigate using the Earth\u2019s magnetic field.<\/p>\n<p>But, if you think about it, it\u2019s difficult to imagine <i>how<\/i> they do it. Try as hard as we may, we simply cannot <i>feel<\/i> magnetism in the same way birds can.<\/p>\n<p>So the researchers set out to study a specific species of migratory robin with an uncanny ability to navigate in hopes of figuring out how it works.<\/p>\n<p>Per the team\u2019s <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41586-021-03618-9.epdf?sharing_token=lU1fbzNE7I31el-aqGX6ddRgN0jAjWel9jnR3ZoTv0PdWBaj_4VOIC_NamksoavyrpI_1Bg_TkF04FMv1MnThl-87Jm5STjPJ_faUSEcbMs-05Teu5GN2RRtThtc8skn05KFJTh4FKlsbI2LBtHf4wsc6v1g9Vb07nA2h5xMUTANq1MI101kcKjC9ZO_IzpVvkEISBtvu5IOIvNw6LEgCIiFDbFvDMfa_l1VI1Cd348%3D&amp;tracking_referrer=www.sciencenews.org\">research paper<\/a>:<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>Magnetic field effects on the coherent spin dynamics of light-induced radical pairs in cryptochromes are manifested as changes in the quantum yields of stabilized states of the protein that could initiate magnetic signaling, most probably through a change in the conformation of the C-terminal tail.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>Translation: these birds have proteins in their eyes that utilize quantum superposition to convert the Earth\u2019s magnetism into a sensory signal.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"What\"><\/span>What?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Quantum superposition is the uncertainty inherent when a particle exists in multiple physical states simultaneously. Physicists like to describe this concept using a spinning coin.<\/p>\n<p>Until the coin\u2019s spin slows and we can observe the results, we cannot state equivocally whether it\u2019s in a state of heads or tails. Our observed reality, at the time it\u2019s spinning, makes it <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/download-scripts-themes-apps\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"9\" title=\"Download Scripts &amp; Themes &amp; Apps\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">app<\/a>ear as though the coin is in a state of neither heads nor tails.<\/p>\n<p>But quantum mechanics are a bit more complex than that. Essentially, when we\u2019re dealing with quantum particles, the <i>coin<\/i> in this metaphor is actually in a state of <i>both<\/i> heads and tails at the same time until it collapses into one state or another upon observation.<\/p>\n<p>It sounds nerdy, but it\u2019s actually really cool in actuality.<\/p>\n<p>When blue light hits the aforementioned robins\u2019 eyes, a pair of entangled electrons inside the special protein in them sets off a series of reactions. This allows the bird to measure <i>how much <\/i>magnetism it\u2019s feeling. The <i>strength<\/i> of this measurement tells the bird exactly where it\u2019s at and, theoretically, serves as a mechanism to drive it towards its destination.<\/p>\n<p>The reason this works is because of superposition and entanglement. Those two electrons are entangled, which means that even though they\u2019re not next to each other, they can be in a state of uncertainty \u2013 superposition \u2013 together.<\/p>\n<p>As the bird senses more or less magnetism the state of the electrons change and it\u2019s more or less drawn in a specific direction \u2013 at least, that\u2019s what the study appears to indicate.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Smell-o-vision\"><\/span>Smell-o-vision<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Think about it like your sense of smell. Despite the fact the birds use a protein in their eye, they don\u2019t really \u201csee\u201d the magnetism. Their brains perceive the <i>signal.<\/i><\/p>\n<p>If you smell something amazing, like your favorite fresh-baked treat, coming from a very specific part of your home, those with a typical sense of smell could likely <i>follow their nose<\/i> and locate the source.<\/p>\n<p>So imagine there\u2019s a special sensor in your nose that\u2019s only looking for a specific scent. One that\u2019s pretty much <i>always<\/i> there.<\/p>\n<p>Instead of developing an olfactory system to discern different smells, evolution would almost certainly gift us with a nose that specializes in detecting extremely exact measurements of <i>how much<\/i> of that one scent we perceive at any given time or location.<\/p>\n<p>The robins\u2019 ability to sense magnetism likely works in a similar fashion. They may very well have a ground-truth tether to the motion of the planet itself.<\/p>\n<p>Their magnetic sense gives them a physical <i>sensation<\/i> based on their literal geolocation.<\/p>\n<p>And that\u2019s pretty amazing! It means these bird\u2019s brains have built-in GPS. What if humans could gain access to this incredible quantum sensory mechanism?<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Never_ever_ask_for_directions\"><\/span>Never, ever ask for directions<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Imagine always knowing exactly where you are, in the physical sense. If we could take the emotional feeling you get when you return home from a long <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">trip<\/a> and turn it into a physical one that waxed or waned depending on how far away from the Earth\u2019s magnetic poles you were, it could absolutely change the way our brains perceive the planet and our place in it.<\/p>\n<p>But, it\u2019s not something we can just unlock through meditation or pharmaceuticals. Clearly, birds <i>evolved <\/i>the ability to sense the Earth\u2019s magnetism. And not every bird can do it.<\/p>\n<p>Chickens, for example, have a relatively minuscule reaction to magnetism when compared to the robins the scientists studied.<\/p>\n<p>We apparently lack the necessary chemical and neural components for natural magnetic sensory development.<\/p>\n<p>But we also lack talons and wings. And that hasn\u2019t stopped us from killing things or flying. In other words, there are potential technological solutions to our lack of magnetic perception.<\/p>\n<p>From a speculative science point of view, the problem can be reduced to two fairly simple concepts. We have to figure out how to get a quantum-capable protein in our eye that filters blue light to perceive magnetism and then sort out how to connect it to the proper regions of our brain.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Engineers_wanted\"><\/span>Engineers wanted<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>Luckily we\u2019ve already got all the conceptual technology we need to make this work.<\/p>\n<p>We know how to entangle things on command, we can <a rel=\"nofollow noopener\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.sciencedirect.com\/topics\/chemistry\/protein-synthesis\">synthesize or manipulate proteins<\/a> to jaw-dropping effect, and brain computer interfaces (BCIs) could facilitate a networking solution that functions as an inter<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/social-mediaa\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"1\" title=\"Social Media\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">media<\/a>ry between quantum and binary signals.<\/p>\n<p>We can even fantasize about a future where miniaturized quantum computers are inserted into our brains to facilitate even smoother translation.<\/p>\n<p>It feels romantic to imagine a future paradigm where we might network our quantum BCIs in order to establish a shared ground-truth \u2013 one that literally allows us to <em>f<\/em><i>eel<\/i> the people we care about, even when we\u2019re apart.<\/p>\n<p>I\u2019m not saying this could happen in our lifetimes. <em>But I\u2019m not saying it couldn\u2019t.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n<p>I can think of worse reasons to shove a chip in my head.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMLG0nwswvr63Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\">For forums sites go to <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/forum.buradabiliyorum.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Forum.BuradaBiliyorum.Com<\/a><\/span><\/strong>\n<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more like this article, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/technology\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Technology category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/thenextweb.com\/news\/mind-blowers-how-quantum-bird-brains-give-superpowers\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;#How quantum bird brains could give us superpowers&#8221; Welcome to Neural\u2019s series on speculative science. Here, we throw caution to the wind and see how far we can push the limits of possibility and imagination as we explore the future of technology. \u201cWhen a distinguished but elderly scientist states that something is possible, he is&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":295272,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/img-cdn.tnwcdn.com\/image\/neural?filter_last=1&fit=1280,640&url=https:\/\/cdn0.tnwcdn.com\/wp-content\/blogs.dir\/1\/files\/2021\/07\/birdbrain.jpg&signature=cf04805fb464744027e21949538c2d03","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-295271","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-technology"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295271","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=295271"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/295271\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/295272"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=295271"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=295271"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=295271"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}