Highlights
- The quantum-electrodynamics (QED) theory of water proposed by Emilio Del Giudice and colleagues suggests liquid water forms coherent domains (CDs), where molecules oscillate in unison between ground and excited electronic states.
- These coherent domains generate almost-free electrons and favour redox reactions, potentially underpinning energy metabolism in living organisms.
- Interfacial water (near membranes and macromolecules) is stabilised by surfaces and may serve as a medium for superconducting-proton conduction and rapid intercommunication in biological systems.
- The theory proposes that CDs can trap environmental electromagnetic frequencies via resonance, thereby orchestrating specific biochemical reactions and possibly influencing gene regulation.
Introduction
Water is far more than just a passive background for biological reactions. In “Illuminating Water and Life”, Mae-Wan Ho reviews how the QED theory of water — originally developed by Del Giudice and collaborators — offers a radical new framework: liquid water isn’t simply a random hydrogen-bond network, but can form large coherent domains where molecules oscillate in phase.
This review article explores how such domains might explain fundamental features of life: from efficient energy conversion, to fast proton conduction, to the coupling of biological systems with electromagnetic fields.
Overview
Ho begins by summarising Del Giudice’s expansion of quantum electrodynamics into the condensed phase of water, wherein large assemblies of water molecules interact coherently with the electromagnetic vacuum field. According to the theory, when a critical density is reached, water molecules enter a coherent state between ground and excited electronic levels — near the ionisation potential of water (~12.56 eV).
These coherent domains (CDs), around ~100 nm in size, behave like resonant cavities trapping electromagnetic fields and generating a plasma of quasi-free electrons. At interfaces such as membranes and macromolecules, these domains are stabilised and form what is called “interfacial water” — which may underpin photosynthesis, redox chemistry and rapid signalling via proton conduction.
The review further investigates how coherent water domains might capture electromagnetic frequencies from the environment, enabling “resonance”-mediated activation of biochemical pathways and gene functions.
Key Findings
- Water’s coherent domain model proposes that a fraction of water molecules (estimated ~13% under some conditions) oscillates between electronic states just below the ionisation threshold, thereby enabling a plasma of electrons.
- Interfacial water near macromolecular surfaces forms coherent domains that are charged and may function as a battery, providing an electrical potential difference and supporting redox and proton transfer processes.
- Proton conduction along water aligned with collagen fibers, as well as superconducting-proton phenomena, are suggested as mechanisms for rapid inter-cellular or intra-tissue communication, rooted in coherent water domains.
- Coherent water domains may absorb specific electromagnetic frequencies (infrared/microwave) and through resonance activate or regulate biochemical reactions, linking environment → water coherence → biology.
Conclusion
This review by Mae-Wan Ho advances a bold and unifying hypothesis: that water’s coherence at the quantum-electrodynamic level is central to life’s processes. It shifts our view of water from a passive solvent to an active, structured medium capable of supporting redox chemistry, rapid proton conduction, electromagnetic coupling and gene-level regulation.
While the theory remains highly speculative and requires further experimental validation (especially in vivo, in biological tissues), it opens intriguing possibilities: for example, designing biomaterials that exploit coherent-water phenomena, or understanding how environmental electromagnetic fields might impact biology via water coherence.
For researchers in biophysics, quantum biology or water science, the study invites a deeper consideration of water’s role — not just in terms of hydration shells or bulk solvent, but as a coherent, dynamic partner in life’s machinery.
References: Ho MW. Illuminating water and life: Emilio Del Giudice. Electromagn Biol Med. 2015;34(2):113-122. doi:10.3109/15368378.2015.1036079
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