Are We Quantum Computers?

Much has been made of quantum computing processes using ultracold atoms and ions, superconducting junctions and defects in diamonds, but could we be performing them in our own brains?

It’s a question UC Santa Barbara theoretical physicist Matthew Fisher has been asking for years. Now, as scientific director of the new Quantum Brain Project (QuBrain), he is seeking to put this inquiry through rigorous experimental tests.

“Might we, ourselves, be quantum computers, rather than just clever robots who are designing and building quantum computers?” Fisher asks.

Some functions the brain performs continue to elude neuroscience — the substrate that “holds” very long-term memories and how it operates, for example. Quantum mechanics, which deals with the behavior of nature at atomic and subatomic levels, may be able to unlock some clues. Andthatin turn could have major implications on many levels, from quantum computing and materials sciences to biology, mental health and even what it is to be human.