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Biophoton is a term used by some to denote those photons that are emitted by biological probes as part of the general weak electromagnetic radiation of living biological cells. The common term in science for this phenomenon is ultra-weak bioluminescence.
A typical magnitude of the effect is 100 photons in the visible range of wavelengths per 1 cm² of probe surface in 1 second. This is much less than in the openly visible and well-researched phenomenon of normal bioluminescence, but much more than in the thermal, or black body radiation, emitted by every matter.
This amount of light is comparable to that observed from a candle viewed at a distance of 10 kilometers. The detection of these photons was only possible after the development of sensitive photomultipliers in the 1950s through 1970s.
Whereas the existence of this radiation has no longer been disputed after the 1970s, its interpretation is still very much an open question.
The main view in science
Those adhering to scientific methods and discussions try to explain ultra-weak bioluminescence as follows. Concerning the normal and openly visible bioluminescence, many bacteria and other cells produce light by particular proteins (luciferase). However, due to the extremely small number of photons in ultra-weak bioluminescence (the numbers given above correspond to roughly a single photon per cell per month, assuming a typical cell diameter of 10 micrometers), the predominant theory has been that these photons are a random by-product of cellular metabolism.
Normal cell metabolism occurs in a chain of steps, with each step involving a small energy exchange. Due to a certain degree of randomness according to the laws of thermodynamics, it must then be expected that, very rarely, some irregular steps can occur. As a result of an accidental physicochemical energy imbalance, a photon could occasionally be emitted.
At present there is no adequately tested theory for the production of these extra photons, and the final answer may require new experimental methods. Further, a variety of modes of production may be involved. To give one example, a typical observation is that ultra-weak bioluminescence is more prevalent in damaged cells, presumably due to the increased number of free radicals in such cells.
In the absence of definite knowledge about the mechanisms that produce these photons, some of the outsider group around F.A. Popp in Neuss/Germany, who call them "biophotons", have speculated that they may be involved in various cell functions such as mitosis, or even that they may be produced and detected by the DNA in the cell nucleus.
Hypothesised involvement in cellular communication
Some of this group have further speculated that these emissions may be part of a system of cell-to-cell communication, which may be of greater complexity than the modes of cell communication already known, such as chemical signaling. These ideas include the concept that they may be important for the development of larger structures, such as organs. There is currently no scientifically accepted evidence for such claims.
Connection to "non-scientific" medicine
Some have claimed that one might be able to associate "biophotons" with Qi, a mystical energy source within living beings posited by some Eastern and new-age religions. However, research has failed to show evidence for the existence of Qi, and it is generally regarded as a purely religious construct. Others have postulated that these emissions are related to consciousness. There are no generally-accepted data to support these hypotheses, and they are mostly held as pseudoscience, along with attempts to gather evidence to support them.
See also
External links
Further reading
- J.J.Chang and F.A.Popp: "Biological Organization: A Possible Mechanism based on the Coherence of Biophotons". In: Biophotons (J.J.Chang, J.Fisch and F.A.Popp, eds.), Kluwer Academic Publisher, Dordrecht-London 1998, pp. 217-227.
- A.G. Gurwitsch: "Über Ursachen der Zellteilung". Arch. Entw. Mech. Org. 51 (1922), 383-415.
- H.Fröhlich: "Long Range Coherence and Energy Storage in Biological Systems". Int. J. Quant. Chem. 2 (1968), 641-649.
- Radiofrequency and microwave radiation of biological origin – their possible role in biocommunication. Psychoenergetic Systems, Vol.3 (1979), pp.133-154.
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