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The quantum needle of the avian magnetic compass
Open accessAbstract
Significance: Billions of birds fly thousands of kilometers every year between their breeding and wintering grounds, helped by an extraordinary ability to detect the direction of the Earth’s magnetic field. The biophysical sensory mechanism at the heart of this compass is thought to rely on magnetically sensitive, light-dependent chemical reactions in cryptochrome proteins in the eye. Thus far, no theoretical model has been able to account for the <5° precision with which migratory birds are able to detect the geomagnetic field vector. Here, using computer simulations, we show that genuinely quantum mechanical, long-lived spin coherences in realistic models of cryptochrome can provide the necessary precision. The crucial structural and dynamical molecular properties are identified.
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“In response to this it has been suggested that the incredible accuracy of the compass is the result of avoided crossings of the spin energy levels of radicals formed in cryptochromes, a process that is genuinely quantum mechanical [99].”
From The future of quantum biology (2018) · cites this paper as [99]
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Cited by
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“For this system, realistic, large-scale model calculations have only been made available for selected relative orientations of the radicals, i.e. those found for WC in DmCry [38, 39] and AtCry [37].”
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Navigation of migratory songbirds: a quantum magnetic compass sensor
Wong, S. Y., Frederiksen, A., Hanić, M., Schuhmann, F., Grüning, G., Hore, P. J., & Solov’yov, I. A. (2021) · e-Neuroforum · doi:10.1515/nf-2021-0005 · Cited by 21
Self-citationDeviers, J., Cailliez, F., de la Lande, A., & Kattnig, D. R. (2021) · The Journal of Chemical Physics · doi:10.1063/5.0078115 · Cited by 20
Self-citationChronobiology Meets Quantum Biology: A New Paradigm Overlooking the Horizon?
Mazzoccoli, G. (2022) · Frontiers in Physiology · doi:10.3389/fphys.2022.892582 · Cited by 23
A structural decryption of cryptochromes
DeOliveira, C. C., & Crane, B. R. (2024) · Frontiers in Chemistry · doi:10.3389/fchem.2024.1436322 · Cited by 22
“…bind FAD and may participate in the sensing of the earth ’ s magnetic fi eld for navigation during migratory behavior (Xu, J. J., et al., 2021), as do Type I CRYs in invertebrates (Gegear, et al., 2008; Maeda, et al., 2008; Hiscock, et al., 2016; Agliassa, et al., 2018; Zoltowski, et al., 2019).”
BackgroundBojarinova, J., Kavokin, K. V., Pakhomov, A. Y., Cherbunin, R. V., Анашина, А., Erokhina, M., Ershova, M., & Chernetsov, N. (2020) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-020-60383-x · Cited by 20
Spin Dynamics of Radical Pairs Using the Stochastic Schrödinger Equation in MolSpin
Pažėra, G. J., Fay, T. P., Solov’yov, I. A., Hore, P. J., & Gerhards, L. (2024) · Journal of Chemical Theory and Computation · doi:10.1021/acs.jctc.4c00361 · Cited by 19
Self-citationBringing quantum mechanics to life: from Schrödinger’s cat to Schrödinger’s microbe
Yin, Z., & Li, T. (2017) · Contemporary Physics · doi:10.1080/00107514.2016.1261860 · Cited by 18
“studied a modified RP model that involved multinuclear radical pairs [73].”
BackgroundGao, Y., Wen, P., Cardé, R. T., Xu, H., & Huang, Q. (2021) · Communications Biology · doi:10.1038/s42003-021-02661-6 · Cited by 19
A thermodynamic approach to the problem of consciousness
Beshkar, M. (2018) · Medical Hypotheses · doi:10.1016/j.mehy.2018.02.003 · Cited by 18
Quantum Biology: Does quantum physics hold the key to revolutionizing medicine?
Goh, B. H., Tong, E. S., & Pusparajah, P. (2020) · Progress in Drug Discovery & Biomedical Science · doi:10.36877/pddbs.a0000130 · Cited by 20
Sjulstok, E., & Solov’yov, I. A. (2020) · The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters · doi:10.1021/acs.jpclett.0c00625 · Cited by 17
Tran, Q. V., Ahn, H., & Anderson, B. D. O. (2018) · IEEE Conference on Decision and Control (CDC) · doi:10.1109/cdc.2018.8619850 · Cited by 17
“The idea of using the earth’s magnetic field direction is motivated by the empirical observation that birds are able to sense the magnetic field to navigate in a homing direction [14], [15].”
BackgroundSemantic parsing of the life process by quantum biology
Feng, J., Song, B., & Zhang, Y. (2022) · Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology · doi:10.1016/j.pbiomolbio.2022.09.005 · Cited by 18
Packmor, F., Kishkinev, D., Zechmeister, T. C., Mouritsen, H., & Holland, R. A. (2024) · Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rspb.2024.1363 · Cited by 16
Self-citationEnhancement of Chiral-Induced Spin Selectivity via Circularly Polarized Light
Liu, W., Chen, J., & Dou, W. (2025) · The Journal of Physical Chemistry C · doi:10.1021/acs.jpcc.5c02365 · Cited by 16
Floquet theory of radical pairs in radiofrequency magnetic fields
Hiscock, H. G., Kattnig, D. R., Manolopoulos, D. E., & Hore, P. J. (2016) · The Journal of Chemical Physics · doi:10.1063/1.4963793 · Cited by 16
Self-citationMagnetoreception of Photoactivated Cryptochrome 1 in Electrochemistry and Electron Transfer
Zeng, Z., Wei, J., Liu, Y., Zhang, W., & Mabe, T. L. (2018) · ACS Omega · doi:10.1021/acsomega.8b00645 · Cited by 16
“To get a sufficient amount of free radicals, the spin coherence of radical pairs should persist for at least the Larmor period (700 ns for a 50 μT field, the strength for earth’s magnetic field).(36) While the oscillations in the spin state of a radical pair are crucial for sensing the existence of an external magneti…”
BackgroundThe reference-probe model for a robust and optimal radical-pair-based magnetic compass sensor
Procopio, M., & Ritz, T. (2020) · The Journal of Chemical Physics · doi:10.1063/1.5128128 · Cited by 16
On the anisotropic weak magnetic field effect in radical-pair reactions
Luo, J. (2023) · The Journal of Chemical Physics · doi:10.1063/5.0149644 · Cited by 15
The Effect of Spin Relaxation on Magnetic Compass Sensitivity in ErCry4a
Grüning, G., Gerhards, L., Wong, S. Y., Kattnig, D. R., & Solov’yov, I. A. (2024) · ChemPhysChem · doi:10.1002/cphc.202400129 · Cited by 15
Self-citationKüblböck, M., Will, J., & Fattahi, H. (2024) · APL Photonics · doi:10.1063/5.0209355 · Cited by 15
Steady bipartite coherence induced by non-equilibrium environment
Huangfu, Y., & Jing, J. (2017) · Science China Physics Mechanics and Astronomy · doi:10.1007/s11433-017-9115-2 · Cited by 15
Magnetosensitivity of Model Flavin–Tryptophan Radical Pairs in a Dynamic Protein Environment
Benjamin, P., Gerhards, L., Solov’yov, I. A., & Hore, P. J. (2025) · The Journal of Physical Chemistry B · doi:10.1021/acs.jpcb.5c01187 · Cited by 16
Self-citationEinstein, von Frisch and the honeybee: a historical letter comes to light
Dyer, A. G., Greentree, A. D., García, J. E., Dyer, E. L., Howard, S. R., & Barth, F. G. (2021) · Journal of Comparative Physiology A · doi:10.1007/s00359-021-01490-6 · Cited by 14
“Nevertheless, radical formation by cryptochrome proteins in avian retinas are potentially an important component of the ability to sense magnetic fields in various vertebrate and invertebrate species (Ritz et al. 2002; Hiscock et al. 2016), but the precise physics principles underpinning such an animal perception is s…”
BackgroundA systematic approach to brain dynamics: cognitive evolution theory of consciousness
Yurchenko, S. B. (2022) · Cognitive Neurodynamics · doi:10.1007/s11571-022-09863-6 · Cited by 20
“…if Alice’s conscious states (coupled with corresponding actions) were indeed NFVMtriggered in her brainstem in the same way as, for instance, quantum effects can participate in bird navigation based on the interaction of electron spin with the geomagnetic field (Ritz 2011; Hiscock et al. 2016).”
BackgroundObservations about utilitarian coherence in the avian compass
Smith, L. D., Deviers, J., & Kattnig, D. R. (2022) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-022-09901-7 · Cited by 14
Self-citation(2025) · doi:10.1021/acschembio.4c00576 · Cited by 12
Self-citationApproaching the Quantum Limit of Energy Resolution in Animal Magnetoreception
Kominis, I. K., & Gkoudinakis, E. (2025) · PRX Life · doi:10.1103/prxlife.3.013004 · Cited by 14
Metadata
- Authors
- Hiscock, H. G., Worster, S., Kattnig, D. R., Steers, C., Jin, Y., Manolopoulos, D. E., Mouritsen, H., & Hore, P. J.
- Affiliations
- University of Oxford (GB)
- Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg (DE)
- ORCID
- Venue
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
- Publisher
- National Academy of Sciences
- Published
- 2016-04-04
- Volume
- 113
- Issue
- 17
- Pages
- 4634-4639
- ISSN
- 0027-8424 (ISSN-L)
- 1091-6490
- PMC
- PMC4855607
- OpenAlex
- W2338302371
- Cited by
- 215
- References
- 65
- Citations by year
- 2026: 20 · 2025: 23 · 2024: 23 · 2023: 13 · 2022: 19 · 2021: 24 · 2020: 24 · 2019: 15 · 2018: 24 · 2017: 18 · 2016: 11
- FWCI
- 14.31
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
- Locations
- Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (publishedVersion)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Durham Research Online (Durham University) (submittedVersion, cc-by)
- Explore Bristol Research (submittedVersion)
- Bristol Research (University of Bristol) (submittedVersion)
- Funders
- EC | European Research Council (FP7/2007-2013/ERC grant agreement no. 340451)
- DOD | Air Force Office of Scientific Research (FA9550-14-1-0095)
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (GRK 1885)
- Volkswagen Foundation (Lichtenberg Professur)
- EMF Biological Research Trust (BRT 15/50)
- Topics
- Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Biophysics › Electromagnetic Fields and Biological Effects
- Physical Sciences › Chemistry › Spectroscopy › Electron Spin Resonance Studies
- Physical Sciences › Earth and Planetary Sciences › Geophysics › Geomagnetism and Paleomagnetism Studies
- Keywords
- cryptochrome, migratory birds, spin coherence, coherent spin dynamics, quantum biology, electromagnetic noise
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Birds, Computer Simulation, Dose-Response Relationship, Radiation, Homing Behavior, Models, Biological, Models, Chemical, Quantum Theory, Radiation Dosage, Signal Transduction, Animal Migration, Cryptochromes, Magnetometry, Magnetic Fields
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