Abstract:

This   year signifies 200th anniversary of the first synthesis of a biogenic   compound from an inorganic precursor. It was the transformation of ammonium   cyanate into urea performed by 24 years old Friedrich Wöhler. This synthesis   was the first of a series of achievements by chemists that dealt a crushing   blow to the so-called vitalism concept, which assumed that the synthesis of   bioorganic materials and compounds is possible only by living organisms. At   the present time, the total synthesis of the most complex natural bioorganic   molecules from inorganic precursors, albeit with minimal reaction yield, is a   common chemical practice. To a certain extent, we can now observe a picture   opposite to that of Wöhler's time: among materials scientists and solid-state   physicists, there is a widespread belief that living systems have limitations   in their capabilities and cannot show the breadth and diversity of phenomena   observed in abiogenic condensed phases. Usually this refers to certain   manifestations of long-term quantum coherence: the formation of Bose   condensates, superconductivity, superfluidity. This also includes magnetic   ordering caused by exchange interaction. Indeed, except for the magnetic order,   most of these phenomena manifest themselves under conditions far from   physiological, either at ultra-low temperatures or at ultra-high pressures.   However, research advances in recent years indicate that life is more   complicated. To solve such physiological problems as the efficient capture of   light quanta by photosynthetic antennas or orientation in the Earth's   magnetic field using an entangled pair of spins in the cryptochrome protein,   relatively short lifetimes of entangled quantum states are sufficient. The   results of studies of so-called active media, the particles of which can move   independently (or change various other characteristics) using the potential   energy of the medium, speak in favor of the emergence in such systems of   states similar in their manifestations to frustrated magnetic phases and   other interesting topological systems. To realize this rich dynamic   phenomenology, stationary states are required that are far from equilibrium   with the environment, which is the key thermodynamical characteristic of   living matter.

Natural   bio-pigment material melanin has several properties unique to all   bio-organics. It is a polyradical, demonstrating signs of a fairly strong   exchange interaction between spins. The key function of melanin is the conversion   of ionizing radiation into heat, that is, a stationary state with a high   energy flow. In the first part of the seminar, we will discuss current data   on the signatures of magnetic ordering in melanin and the possible   physiological consequences of this phenomenology.

The second part of the   seminar will focus on discussing the current state of biosynthesis of   composite inorganic phases, specifically pnictides and chalcogenides of   d-elements. The speaker will substantiate the possibility of industrial microorganisms   synthesizing superconducting materials. We will propose considering   physiological models for selecting microorganisms capable of synthesizing   material with the required characteristics.