Coherent and Noncoherent Photonic Communications in Biological Systems

The possible mechanisms of communications between distant bio-systems by means of optical and UV photons are studied. It is argued that their main production mechanism is owed to the biochemical reactions, occurring during the cell division.. In the proposed model the bio-systems perform such communications, radiating the photons in form of short periodic bursts, which were observed experimentally for fish and frog eggs1. For experimentally measured photon rates the communication algorithm is supposedly similar to the exchange of binary encoded data in computer net via optical channels

💡 Research Summary

The paper proposes that living organisms can exchange information over macroscopic distances by means of optical and ultraviolet photons generated during biochemical processes associated with cell division. The authors argue that the primary source of these photons is the cascade of electron‑transfer reactions and enzymatic catalysis that occur as cells progress through mitosis. Two classes of emitted photons are distinguished: coherent photons, whose phase remains correlated over a finite propagation length, and non‑coherent photons, which are statistically random in phase. Experimental observations on fish and frog eggs reveal that photon emission occurs in short, periodic bursts lasting a few tens of milliseconds. The authors interpret these bursts as binary symbols—high‑intensity pulses representing “1” and low‑intensity intervals representing “0”—and suggest that the receiving organism decodes the signal using photon‑sensitive molecules (e.g., luciferases) that fire only when a photon flux exceeds a threshold.

A theoretical model treats the biological medium as an optical transmission channel characterized by an attenuation coefficient α. Coherent photons can travel a distance Lc ≈ 1/α before phase decoherence, whereas non‑coherent photons are limited only by overall intensity loss. By fitting the measured photon rates to this model, the authors estimate α and find that the inter‑burst interval matches the clock period of a simple digital communication protocol. Consequently, they claim that the communication algorithm employed by the organisms resembles binary data exchange over an optical network.

Critical evaluation highlights several limitations. First, the focus on cell‑division‑related photon production neglects other endogenous sources such as mitochondrial respiration, photosynthetic pigments, and ambient light re‑emission, which could contribute substantially to the observed signals. Second, the stability of photon phase in heterogeneous biological tissues—subject to scattering, refractive‑index fluctuations, and thermal noise—is not rigorously addressed, casting doubt on the feasibility of long‑range coherent signaling. Third, while the binary‑burst analogy is conceptually appealing, the paper provides no mechanistic description of how biological photoreceptors convert photon fluxes into discrete digital states, nor does it demonstrate error‑correction or synchronization mechanisms that real communication systems require.

The authors propose future work that includes (1) systematic spectral and temporal characterization of photon emission across developmental stages and species, (2) direct measurement of photon coherence using ultrafast time‑resolved spectroscopy, and (3) molecular dissection of the downstream signaling pathways that translate photon detection into cellular responses. Such studies would be essential to validate whether photonic emission truly functions as an information‑carrying channel in living systems, or whether the observed bursts are merely metabolic by‑products without communicative intent.