An explorer at heart, Adriana speaks to the adventurer in all of us. Her studies in quantum biology and passion for space have lead her being selected as one of the final candidates to set up a colony on Mars. Adriana shares her reasoning for her jumping at the opportunity for a one-way ticket to Mars and invites us all to explore our boundaries just a little more.
Adriana Marais studied theoretical physics and philosophy at the University of Cape Town. She completed her MSc summa cum laude in quantum cryptography at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), and was awarded her PhD in quantum biology at the same institute earlier this year. She is a member of the Quantum Research Group established by Prof. Francesco Petruccione at UKZN, and plans to continue doing research in quantum biology, specifically studying quantum effects in photosynthesis as well as the origins of prebiotic molecules and life itself. Adriana has published a number of scientific and media articles on her research. Most recently, she and her team published an article “A quantum protective mechanism in photosynthesis” in the Nature journal Scientific Reports. In 2014 she was one of 200 Young South African achievers recognised by the Mail and Guardian. In 2015 she was one of 15 recipients worldwide of a L’Oreal‐UNESCO International Rising Talent Grant for Women in Science.
This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx
18 сен 2024
