Clarice Aiello, a UCLA electrical engineering faculty member, is interviewed by Yuval.
Here are the key points:
- Clarice's work focuses on quantum sensors and their potential application in biology. She has shifted her focus from technological quantum sensors to nature-made quantum sensors, which often outperform human-made sensors.
- She provides examples of quantum biology in action, such as photosynthesis and bird navigation. In photosynthesis, there's evidence that it works better than any human-made solar cell due to a noise-assisted quantum process. In bird navigation, birds use the Earth's magnetic field, which is thought to be sensed via a type of electron spin-dependent chemical reaction.
- Clarice's research aims to understand how these quantum processes can be controlled and potentially used for future therapeutics. She is developing experiments to study these processes at a cellular level.
- She mentions the impact of weak magnetic fields on biological processes, including cell growth and development. She suggests that understanding the interaction between magnetic fields and biological processes could have implications for space exploration and medical treatments.
- Clarice's long-term goal is to develop a "quantum codebook" that could be used to influence specific chemical reactions via magnetic fields. This could potentially be used in an app that produces the exact magnetic field intensity and frequency needed for a specific biological process, such as wound healing.
