There is a reason biology and quantum computing famously clash. Quantum computing operations are intensely precise and require environments with minimum interference. Qubits\u2014the quantum answer to binary bits\u2014are difficult to maintain even in shielded quantum devices designed to keep them stable. This is the opposite of existing in a live cell, where enzymes catalyze<\/a> reactions and organelles are constantly shuttling around to carry out tasks.<\/p>\n Related Story<\/p>\n Remarkably, researchers from the University of Chicago have found a way around that. They genetically engineered fluorescent proteins<\/a> to match proteins in the body, attached them to their mirror proteins, and manipulated them to behave like the qubits in quantum computers<\/a>. \u201cA molecule-scale genetically encodable qubit sensor could enable ultra-sensitive measurement techniques for fundamental research and medical diagnostics that are complementary to existing quantum sensing platforms,\u201d they said in a study recently published in the journal Nature<\/a>.<\/p>\n Qubits exist in superposition, meaning that they can be in two states simultaneously. Binary bits can only have one value at a time: one (on) or zero (off). Qubits, despite containing only one bit of information, are capable of being on and off at the same time. The electron spin inside a qubit is used for processing, which is doable as long as both the superposition of both of states is maintained and the direction of the spin can change at warp speed.<\/p>\n Enter fluorescent proteins. With the almost supernatural ability to fluoresce from fluorophores<\/a> (fluorescent compounds that absorb and emit light) that form inside some amino acid residues, these proteins can be attached to other biomolecules, allowing researchers to image cells on a molecular level (they are preferred over synthetic dyes when it comes to studying biological processes such as gene expression). Enhanced yellow fluorescent protein (EYFP) has long been used for this purpose, and the researchers found that it has what it takes to be a sort of biological qubit.<\/p>\n What makes EYFP so promising is the stable triplet state<\/a>\u2014the state of two electrons having parallel spins, despite being in different orbits\u2014in its fluorophores. The researchers manipulated EYFP to work like a qubit by subjecting it to superfast laser pulses that induced superposition states. The ways in which the electrons pulse show how cellular processes occur on an unprecedented level. When the qubit\u2019s superposition is disrupted, the pattern of disruptions translates to information about its surroundings, such as abnormalities from a mutation<\/a>.<\/p>\n Related Story<\/p>\n For the protein qubit to \u201cencode\u201d more information about what is going on inside a cell, the fluorescent protein needs to be genetically engineered to match the protein scientists want to observe in a given cell. The glowing protein is then attached to the target protein and zapped with a laser<\/a> so it reaches a state of superposition, turning it into a nano-probe that picks up what is happening in the cell. From there, scientists can infer how a certain biological process happens, what the beginnings of a genetic<\/a> disease look like, or how cells respond to certain treatments. <\/p>\n And eventually, this kind of sensing could be used in non-biological applications as well.<\/p>\n
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