In artificial systems, quantum superposition and entanglement typically decay
rapidly unless cryogenic temperatures are used. Could life have evolved to
exploit such delicate phenomena? Certain migratory birds have the ability to
sense very subtle variations in Earth's magnetic field. Here we apply quantum
information theory and the widely accepted "radical pair" model to analyze
recent experimental observations of the avian compass. We find that
superposition and entanglement are sustained in this living system for at least
tens of microseconds, exceeding the durations achieved in the best comparable
man-made molecular systems. This conclusion is starkly at variance with the
view that life is too "warm and wet" for such quantum phenomena to endure.

该研究使用量子信息理论和广为接受的 “基团偶” 模型分析了对渡鸟罗盘的最近实验观测，发现超级位置和纠缠在这个生命体系中至少可以持续数十微秒，超过了最佳的可比人造分子系统所实现的持续时间，这是与认为生命太 “温暖潮湿” 以至于无法长期保持这种量子现象的观点严重的不同之处。