Three examples usually told in one breath actually sit at three quite different levels of evidence. Proton and electron tunnelling in enzymes is widely accepted and measured through kinetic isotope effects. The radical pair in the cryptochrome protein is a strong candidate for the migratory bird compass, though the detailed mechanism is still being tested. The long-lived oscillations seen in light-harvesting complexes, meanwhile, are fiercely debated as either useful electronic coherence or ordinary vibronic motion, since a warm wet environment destroys phase on femtosecond to picosecond timescales.
Three examples usually told in one breath actually sit at three quite different levels of evidence. Proton and electron tunnelling in enzymes is widely accepted and measured through kinetic isotope effects. The radical pair in the cryptochrome protein is a strong candidate for the migratory bird compass, though the detailed mechanism is still being tested. The long-lived oscillations seen in light-harvesting complexes, meanwhile, are fiercely debated as either useful electronic coherence or ordinary vibronic motion, since a warm wet environment destroys phase on femtosecond to picosecond timescales.
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