Explorations in Disease Ecology and Quantum Evolution

In our research group, we embark on two fascinating lines of study that take us from the microcosm of parasites in animals to the enigmatic confines of quantum physics applied to biology.

1) Disease Ecology and Evolution: Unraveling the Intricate Relationships Between Animals and Parasites

Imagine diving into a world where the unseen connections between animals and parasites are unveiled in all their complexity. As cities grow at a rapid pace, these local interactions become crucial. While most research focuses on predicting zoonoses on regional and global scales, we delve into the local details, where human-impacted environments can uniquely disrupt these dynamics.

Our goal is to uncover the ecological and evolutionary dynamics of multi-host pathogens across environmental gradients, particularly the contrasts between urban and non-urban settings. This is where our primary study system comes into play: avian malaria. Serving as a proxy for understanding mosquito-borne diseases, we investigate how these hosts and vectors adapt under the pressures of urbanization.

Amidst rapid urbanization, our work has been crucial in identifying wildlife pathogens that have the potential to become emerging diseases. Additionally, our group explores avian biodiversity in relation to urbanization, providing a comprehensive view of the environmental impact on ecosystem health.

2) Quantum Evolution: Exploring the Nexus Between Physics and Biology

Now, join us on a journey to a new frontier of science: quantum biology. This emerging discipline seeks to explain the fundamental mechanisms of life through quantum physics. Evidence already demonstrates that quantum mechanisms such as superposition, proton tunneling, and entanglement are essential for processes like photosynthesis and enzymatic reactions. However, the field of quantum evolution has lagged behind due to the lack of an evolutionary framework where these mechanisms can be applied.

In our group, we aim to bridge this gap. We address the relevance of the quantum realm in evolutionary genomics through four key pillars:

1. The DNA double helix is held together by the sharing of hydrogen protons via superposition.

2. The regulatory and enzymatic processes occurring in the genome are based on quantum mechanisms.

3. The sequence of nucleotides can be described as quantum digital objects, where mutations represent quantum jumps between different nucleotide states.

4. The genome is a systems biology structure defined by regulatory network interactions, making it a computational assembly.

Our objective is to build a mathematical foundation by combining quantum computation with evolutionary genomics to develop quantum biological algorithms. Subsequently, we will experimentally verify the predictions of our theory to explain why there are mutational biases and rapid evolutionary adaptations based on fundamental physical principles.

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We hope you join us on this journey of discovery, where we unravel the secrets of life both on a macro and micro scale! Would you like to learn more about any of our research or the impact we aim to achieve?