The DOI matches its Crossref record; 221 of the 222 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
The Radical-Pair Mechanism of Magnetoreception
Open accessAbstract
Although it has been known for almost half a century that migratory birds can detect the direction of the Earth's magnetic field, the primary sensory mechanism behind this remarkable feat is still unclear. The leading hypothesis centers on radical pairs—magnetically sensitive chemical intermediates formed by photoexcitation of cryptochrome proteins in the retina. Our primary aim here is to explain the chemical and physical aspects of the radical-pair mechanism to biologists and the biological and chemical aspects to physicists. In doing so, we review the current state of knowledge on magnetoreception mechanisms. We dare to hope that this tutorial will stimulate new interdisciplinary experimental and theoretical work that will shed much-needed additional light on this fascinating problem in sensory biology.
Overview
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
The claims and statistics of this paper haven’t been checked yet.
Run the check — free, no account needed. It reads the open-access text and checks the sources it cites.
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
The source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Magnetic fields alter the coherent interconversion between singlet and triplet configurations, and because these spin states lead to different reaction outcomes, reaction yields are determined by spin coherence rather than reaction energetics [33,34,35].”
From The Heart’s Electromagnetic Field in Emotions, Empathy and Human Connection: Biosensor-Derived Insights into Heart–Brain Axis Mechanisms and a Basis for Novel BioMagnetoTherapies (2026) · cites this paper as [35]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“While RPM does not directly address the cardiac field or emotional processes, it provides an experimental and theoretical basis that renders the hypothesis regarding biologic systems’ sensitivity to such weak magnetic fields mechanistically plausible.”
From The Heart’s Electromagnetic Field in Emotions, Empathy and Human Connection: Biosensor-Derived Insights into Heart–Brain Axis Mechanisms and a Basis for Novel BioMagnetoTherapies (2026) · cites this paper as [35]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe source backs part of the claim, not all of it — or backs it for a different population, condition or comparison.
In the citing paper
“Although its nanotesla-scale strength (0.1–1 nT) poses a significant limitation for conventional biological interpretation, stochastic resonance and the radical pair mechanism offer plausible theoretical frameworks through which weak magnetic fields could exert measurable effects under specific conditions [35,36,37,38,39].”
From The Heart’s Electromagnetic Field in Emotions, Empathy and Human Connection: Biosensor-Derived Insights into Heart–Brain Axis Mechanisms and a Basis for Novel BioMagnetoTherapies (2026) · cites this paper as [35]
Experimental — accuracy not yet measuredThe cited source says what the claim attributes to it.
In the citing paper
“The Radical Pair Mechanism (RPM) proposes that magnetic fields can influence chemical reactions by modulating the quantum spin dynamics of transient radical pairs.”
Self-check
Percentages, sums and reported differences re-computed from the paper’s own numbers.
The self-check needs the paper’s full text.
Citations
Cites
Massagué, J. (1998) · Annual Review of Biochemistry · doi:10.1146/annurev.biochem.67.1.753 · Cited by 7,571
Nature of biological electron transfer
Moser, C. C., Keske, J. M., Warncke, K., Farid, R., & Dutton, P. L. (1992) · Nature · doi:10.1038/355796a0 · Cited by 1,875
The Migration Ecology of Birds
Newton, I., & Brockie, K. (2007) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-517367-4.x5000-1 · Cited by 1,864
Blakemore, R. P. (1975) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.170679 · Cited by 1,714
Magnetic field effects in chemical kinetics and related phenomena
Steiner, U. E., & Ulrich, T. (1989) · Chemical Reviews · doi:10.1021/cr00091a003 · Cited by 1,660
Structure and Function of DNA Photolyase and Cryptochrome Blue-Light Photoreceptors
Sancar, A. (2003) · Chemical Reviews · doi:10.1021/cr0204348 · Cited by 1,317
HY4 gene of A. thaliana encodes a protein with characteristics of a blue-light photoreceptor
Ahmad, M., & Cashmore, A. R. (1993) · Nature · doi:10.1038/366162a0 · Cited by 1,279
Parallel processing in the mammalian retina
Wässle, H. (2004) · Nature reviews. Neuroscience · doi:10.1038/nrn1497 · Cited by 1,253
Heterotrimeric G protein activation by G-protein-coupled receptors
Oldham, W. M., & Hamm, H. E. (2007) · Nature Reviews Molecular Cell Biology · doi:10.1038/nrm2299 · Cited by 1,234
A Model for Photoreceptor-Based Magnetoreception in Birds
Ritz, T., Adem, S., & Schulten, K. (2000) · Biophysical Journal · doi:10.1016/s0006-3495(00)76629-x · Cited by 1,176 · cited 4×
“In 2000, Schulten’s suggestion changed overnight from interesting curiosity to intriguing possibility when he, Adem, and Ritz wrote an article (162) that both made the 1978 proposal accessible to biologists and suggested a specific molecule in which appropriate radical pairs might be formed.”
BackgroundInfluential
Research works printed but not linked: 9
- Alerstam T, 1988, Anser, 27, 181
- Emlen ST, 1980, Acta XVII Congr. Intern. Ornithol., Berlin, 553
- Forbes MDE, 2013, Adv. Phys. Org. Chem., 47, 1
- Frisch MJ, 2004, Gaussian 03, Revision C.02
- Gomperts BD, 2013, Signal Transduction
- 79. Hore PJ. 2011. The quantum robin. Navigation News , November/December, pp. 15–17
- Perdeck AC., 1958, Ardea, 46, 1
- 166. Rodgers CT. 2007. Magnetic field effects in chemical systems . PhD thesis, University of Oxford, United Kingdom
- Salikhov KM, 1984, Spin Polarization and Magnetic Field Effects in Radical Reactions
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 201–300 of 812
Environmental and behavioral regulation of HIF-mitochondria crosstalk
Burtscher, J., Hohenauer, E., Burtscher, M., Millet, G. P., & Egg, M. (2023) · Free Radical Biology and Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2023.06.015 · Cited by 27
On the optimal relative orientation of radicals in the cryptochrome magnetic compass
Atkins, C., Bajpai, K., Rumball, J., & Kattnig, D. R. (2019) · The Journal of Chemical Physics · doi:10.1063/1.5115445 · Cited by 22
“A magnetic compass in migratory songbirds is hypothesized to rely on photo-induced radical pairs generated within the flavoprotein cryptochrome, located within the animal’s retinae [4, 6].”
BackgroundInfluentialLocalisation of cryptochrome 2 in the avian retina
Einwich, A., Seth, P. K., Bartölke, R., Bolte, P., Feederle, R., Dedek, K., & Mouritsen, H. (2021) · Journal of Comparative Physiology A · doi:10.1007/s00359-021-01506-1 · Cited by 22
Self-citationApplication of magnetism in tissue regeneration: recent progress and future prospects
Guan, W., Gao, H., Liu, Y., Sun, S., & Li, G. (2024) · Regenerative Biomaterials · doi:10.1093/rb/rbae048 · Cited by 21
Dissipation Bounds Precision of Current Response to Kinetic Perturbations
Ptaszyński, K., Aslyamov, T., & Esposito, M. (2024) · Physical Review Letters · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.133.227101 · Cited by 21
Tasić, T., Lozić, M., Glumac, S., Stankovic, M. S., Milovanovich, I. D., Djordjevich, D. M., Trbovich, A. M., Japundžić‐Žigon, N., & Luka, S. R. D. (2020) · Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety · doi:10.1016/j.ecoenv.2020.111085 · Cited by 21
OLEDs as models for bird magnetoception: detecting electron spin resonance in geomagnetic fields
Grünbaum, T., Milster, S., Kraus, H., Ratzke, W., Kurrmann, S., Zeller, V., Bange, S., Boehme, C., & Lupton, J. M. (2019) · Faraday Discussions · doi:10.1039/c9fd00047j · Cited by 21
Nonspecific magnetic biological effects: A model assuming the spin-orbit coupling
Binhi, V. N. (2019) · The Journal of Chemical Physics · doi:10.1063/1.5127972 · Cited by 21
Magnetic Noise Enabled Biocompass
Xiao, D.-W., Hu, W.-H., Cai, Y., & Zhao, N. (2020) · Physical Review Letters · doi:10.1103/physrevlett.124.128101 · Cited by 21
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-citationAustvold, C. K., Keable, S. M., Procopio, M., & Usselman, R. J. (2024) · Frontiers in Physiology · doi:10.3389/fphys.2024.1348395 · Cited by 20
“The fl avoprotein cryptochrome has been proposed to be a biological magnetic receptor (Ritz et al., 2000), where a RP is initialized by either photoexcitation or during the redox cycle of the fl avin cofactor (Maeda et al., 2008; Hogben et al., 2009; Hore and Mouritsen, 2016).”
BackgroundZein, B., Long, J., Safi, K., Kölzsch, A., Wikelski, M. C., Kruckenberg, H., & Demšar, U. (2021) · Movement Ecology · doi:10.1186/s40462-021-00283-5 · Cited by 20
Deviers, J., Cailliez, F., de la Lande, A., & Kattnig, D. R. (2021) · The Journal of Chemical Physics · doi:10.1063/5.0078115 · Cited by 20
Hypomagnetic Fields and Their Multilevel Effects on Living Organisms
Sinčák, M., & Sedláková-Kaduková, J. (2023) · Processes · doi:10.3390/pr11010282 · Cited by 20
Local studies of photoelectrochemical reactions at nanostructured oxides
Wittstock, G., Rastgar, S., & Scarabino, S. (2018) · Current Opinion in Electrochemistry · doi:10.1016/j.coelec.2018.10.007 · Cited by 20
Symbiotic magnetic sensing: raising evidence and beyond
Natan, E., Fitak, R. R., Werber, Y., & Vortman, Y. (2020) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2019.0595 · Cited by 23
Fain, G. (2019) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198835028.001.0001 · Cited by 22
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-citationChange in geomagnetic field intensity alters migration-associated traits in a migratory insect
Wan, G., Liu, R., Li, C., He, J., Pan, W., Sword, G. A., Hu, G., & Chen, F. (2020) · Biology Letters · doi:10.1098/rsbl.2019.0940 · Cited by 19
Cryptochromes in Mammals and Birds: Clock or Magnetic Compass?
Kavet, R. I., & Brain, J. (2021) · Physiology · doi:10.1152/physiol.00040.2020 · Cited by 19
Pooam, M., Jourdan, N., Aguida, B., Dahon, C., Baouz, S., Terry, C., Raad, H. K., & Ahmad, M. (2022) · Communicative & Integrative Biology · doi:10.1080/19420889.2022.2027698 · Cited by 19
“This is because static magnetic fields have also been widely reported modulating cellular ROS [16–21], which are proposed to occur by a spin chemical mechanism whereby the magnetic fields can interact with the excited states of redox reactions to alter their ensuing quantum efficiency [39].”
BackgroundWhy is it so difficult to study magnetic compass orientation in murine rodents?
Phillips, J. B., Muheim, R., Painter, M. S., Raines, J., Anderson, C. R., Landler, L., Dommer, D., Raines, A., Deutschlander, M. E., Whitehead, J., et al. (2022) · Journal of Comparative Physiology A · doi:10.1007/s00359-021-01532-z · Cited by 20
Cryptochromes in mammals: a magnetoreception misconception?
Zhang, L., & Malkemper, E. P. (2023) · Frontiers in Physiology · doi:10.3389/fphys.2023.1250798 · Cited by 21
“The radical pair mechanism (RPM) predicts that the magnetic modulation of a spin-dependent chemical reaction initiates a transduction cascade, ultimately leading to the generation of neuronal signals (Hore and Mouritsen, 2016).”
BackgroundInfluentialCryptochrome: The magnetosensor with a sinister side?
Landler, L., & Keays, D. A. (2018) · PLoS Biology · doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.3000018 · Cited by 19
Oldemeyer, S., Haddad, A. Z., & Fleming, G. R. (2019) · Biochemistry · doi:10.1021/acs.biochem.9b00875 · Cited by 19
Eyes are essential for magnetoreception in a mammal
Caspar, K. R., Moldenhauer, K., Moritz, R. E., Němec, P., Malkemper, E. P., & Begall, S. (2020) · Journal of The Royal Society Interface · doi:10.1098/rsif.2020.0513 · Cited by 21
“First, in contrast with light-dependent radical pair-based receptors [11], light-independent magnetite-based receptors do not require specific spatial receptor arrangements to function [12,37].”
BackgroundKhan, M. W., Juutilainen, J., Auvinen, A. P., Naarala, J., Pukkala, ., & Roivainen, P. (2021) · International Journal of Hygiene and Environmental Health · doi:10.1016/j.ijheh.2021.113712 · Cited by 19
Wan, G., Jiang, S., Zhang, M., Zhao, J., Zhang, Y.-C., Pan, W., Sword, G. A., & Chen, F. (2020) · Insect Science · doi:10.1111/1744-7917.12765 · Cited by 18
“The three prevailing mechanisms of magnetoreception suggested to date for terrestrial animals are radical-pair-based magnetoreception, magnetite-based magnetoreception (Hore and Mouritsen, 2016), and electromagnetic induction detected through potential electroreceptors (Nordmann et al.”
BackgroundAmplification of weak magnetic field effects on oscillating reactions
Player, T. C., Baxter, E. D. A., Allatt, S., & Hore, P. J. (2021) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-021-88871-8 · Cited by 18
Self-citationNanotherapy based on magneto‐mechanochemical modulation of tumor redox state
Orel, V. B., Papazoglou, Α. S., Tsagkaris, C., Moysidis, D. V., Papadakos, S. P., Galkin, A. Y., Vé, O., & Syvak, L. A. (2022) · Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews Nanomedicine and Nanobiotechnology · doi:10.1002/wnan.1868 · Cited by 19
Schneider, W. T., Packmor, F., Lindecke, O., & Holland, R. A. (2023) · Communications Biology · doi:10.1038/s42003-023-04530-w · Cited by 18
“1), rather than the raw x , y , and z components of the fi eld, that are generally considered to form an animal ’ s magnetic map 9 – 11 .”
Quantum Control of Radical-Pair Dynamics beyond Time-Local Optimization
Chowdhury, F. T., Denton, M. C. J., Bonser, D. C., & Kattnig, D. R. (2024) · PRX Quantum · doi:10.1103/prxquantum.5.020303 · Cited by 18
“Notably, the radical pair mechanism, or variations thereof [14], are also hypothesised to underpin a compass sense in various animals, including migratory songbirds [15].”
BackgroundWeng, Z., Gillin, W. P., & Kreouzis, T. (2020) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-020-73953-w · Cited by 18
Wu, Y., & Subotnik, J. E. (2021) · The Journal of Chemical Physics · doi:10.1063/5.0054014 · Cited by 18
Lidocaine is a nocebo treatment for trigeminally mediated magnetic orientation in birds
Engels, S., Treiber, C. D., Salzer, M. C., Michalik, A., Ushakova, L., Keays, D. A., Mouritsen, H., & Heyers, D. (2018) · Journal of The Royal Society Interface · doi:10.1098/rsif.2018.0124 · Cited by 18
Self-citationQuantum phenomena in biological systems
Alvarez, P. H., Gerhards, L., Solov’yov, I. A., & de Oliveira, M. C. (2024) · Frontiers in Quantum Science and Technology · doi:10.3389/frqst.2024.1466906 · Cited by 21
Zolotareva, A. D., Utvenko, G., Romanova, N., Pakhomov, A. Y., & Chernetsov, N. (2021) · Journal of Experimental Biology · doi:10.1242/jeb.237875 · Cited by 17
Magnetic‐Field‐Switchable Laser via Optical Pumping of Rubrene
Perkinson, C. F., Einzinger, M., Finley, J., Bawendi, M. G., & Baldo, M. A. (2021) · Advanced Materials · doi:10.1002/adma.202103870 · Cited by 17
Zhou, Y., 安徽大学物质科学与信息技术学院, 安. 合. 2., Tong, T., Wei, M., Zhang, P., Fei, F., Zhou, X., Guo, Z., Zhang, J., Xu, H., et al. (2022) · 动物学研究 · doi:10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2022.423 · Cited by 18
Font, Y. S., Díaz, Y. O., Cuypers, A., Alemán, E. I., & Vandamme, D. (2023) · Journal of Applied Phycology · doi:10.1007/s10811-023-02994-1 · Cited by 17
“1998; Hore and Mouritsen 2016; Zadeh-Haghighi and Simon 2022).”
BackgroundSpecies–specific circuitry of double cone photoreceptors in two avian retinas
Günther, A., Haverkamp, S., Irsen, S. H., Watkins, P. V., Dedek, K., Mouritsen, H., & Briggman, K. L. (2024) · Communications Biology · doi:10.1038/s42003-024-06697-2 · Cited by 17
“Additionally, double cones have also been suggested to underlie light-dependent magnetoreception 13 because, in many bird species, they express crypto-chrome4 4 .”
BackgroundSelf-citationVanderstraeten, J., Gailly, P. L., & Malkemper, E. P. (2018) · Frontiers in Plant Science · doi:10.3389/fpls.2018.00121 · Cited by 17
“To date, they are thus the most probable candidates for the mediation of MF effects in the microtesla range, in particular in the Earth strength range (25–65 μT depending on the latitude) (review in Chaves et al., 2011; Ahmad, 2016; Hore and Mouritsen, 2016).”
BackgroundTime-resolved optical absorption microspectroscopy of magnetic field sensitive flavin photochemistry
Antill, L. M., Beardmore, J. P., & Woodward, J. R. (2018) · Review of Scientific Instruments · doi:10.1063/1.5011693 · Cited by 17
Bioinspired magnetoreception and navigation using magnetic signatures as waypoints
Taylor, B. K. (2018) · Bioinspiration & Biomimetics · doi:10.1088/1748-3190/aabbec · Cited by 17
“Baker and Kuenen (1982), Stoddard et al (1983), Lohmann et al (1999), Goyret et al (2007), Willis et al (2008) and Reppert et al (2010)), magnetic reception and its interaction with other sensing modes remains poorly understood (e.”
BackgroundКрылов, В. В., Канцерова, Н. П., Лысенко, Л. А., & Osipova, E. A. (2019) · International Journal of Biometeorology · doi:10.1007/s00484-018-01657-y · Cited by 17
Hydroxyl Radical-Coupled Electron-Transfer Mechanism of Flavin-Dependent Hydroxylases
Tweedy, S. E., Benítez, A. R., Narayan, A. R. H., Zimmerman, P. M., Brooks, C. L., & Wymore, T. (2019) · The Journal of Physical Chemistry B · doi:10.1021/acs.jpcb.9b08178 · Cited by 17
Exploring the role of circadian clock gene and association with cancer pathophysiology
Keshvari, M., Nejadtaghi, M., Hosseini-Beheshti, F., Rastqar, A., & Patel, N. (2019) · Chronobiology International · doi:10.1080/07420528.2019.1681440 · Cited by 17
“Besides chlorophylls, cryptochromes are the only proteins known to form photoinduced radicalpairs in vivo (Hore and Mouritsen 2016).”
BackgroundLight entrainment of retinal biorhythms: cryptochrome 2 as candidate photoreceptor in mammals
Vanderstraeten, J., Gailly, P. L., & Malkemper, E. P. (2020) · Cellular and Molecular Life Sciences · doi:10.1007/s00018-020-03463-5 · Cited by 17
Sjulstok, E., & Solov’yov, I. A. (2020) · The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters · doi:10.1021/acs.jpclett.0c00625 · Cited by 17
Swimming direction of the glass catfish is responsive to magnetic stimulation
Hunt, R. D., Ashbaugh, R. C., Reimers, M., Удпа, Л., de Jimenez, G. S., Moore, M., Gilad, A. A., & Pelled, G. (2021) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0248141 · Cited by 17
Tasić, T., Djordjevic, D. M., Luka, S. R. D., Trbovich, A. M., & Japundžić‐Žigon, N. (2017) · International Journal of Radiation Biology · doi:10.1080/09553002.2017.1276307 · Cited by 17
“The radical pair mechanism refers to the process by which magnetic fields can alter the rate, yield or product distribution of chemical reactions (for review refer to Brocklehurst and McLauchlan 1996; Rodgers 2009; Hore and Mouritsen 2016).”
BackgroundNießner, C., & Michael Winklhofer, A. (2017) · Journal of Comparative Physiology A · doi:10.1007/s00359-017-1189-1 · Cited by 17
“For details about the radical-pair mechanism and how it could be realized in the avian magnetoreception pathway, we refer to the excellent review by Hore and Mouritsen (2016).”
BackgroundMethodBlue light-dependent human magnetoreception in geomagnetic food orientation
Chae, K. S., Oh, I., Lee, S., & Kim, S.-C. (2019) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0211826 · Cited by 17
Gravell, J., Murton, P. D. F., Pitcher, T. L., Henbest, K. B., Schmidt, J., Buffett, M. M., Moise, G., Gehrckens, A. S., Cubbin, D. R., Štuhec, A., et al. (2025) · Journal of the American Chemical Society · doi:10.1021/jacs.4c14037 · Cited by 16
Self-citationThe expression, localisation and interactome of pigeon CRY2
Balay, S. D., Hochstoeger, T., Vilceanu, A., Malkemper, E. P., Snider, W., Dürnberger, G., Mechtler, K., Schüchner, S., Ogris, E., Nordmann, G. C., et al. (2021) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-021-99207-x · Cited by 16
Albert, L., Olivier, F., Jolivet, A., Laurent Chauvaud, A., & Chauvaud, S. (2021) · Journal of Fish Biology · doi:10.1111/jfb.14978 · Cited by 16
Adaptive evolution and loss of a putative magnetoreceptor in passerines
Langebrake, C., Manthey, G., Frederiksen, A., Ramos, J. S. L., Dutheil, J. Y., Chetverikova, R., Solov’yov, I. A., Mouritsen, H., & Liedvogel, M. (2024) · Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rspb.2023.2308 · Cited by 18
“They are the only known photoreceptor molecules in the bird ’ s eyewith the potential to form long-lived, magnetically sensitive, radical-pairs (transient reaction intermediates comprising two radicals with unpaired electrons) [14 – 16].”
BackgroundSelf-citationPackmor, 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
“In birds the magnetic compass sense is proposed to be based on a radical pair sensory mechanism [74], which involves reversible, light-dependent chemical reactions inside the retina of the birds’ eyes, with the yield of these reactions depending on the alignment of a specific type of molecule…”
Self-citationCataglyphis ants have a polarity-sensitive magnetic compass
Grob, R., Wegmann, J. W., Rößler, W., & Fleischmann, P. N. (2024) · Current Biology · doi:10.1016/j.cub.2024.11.012 · Cited by 22
Enhancement 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
“(55) When the FAD is excited to be FAD*, which is rapidly converted to radical pairs (picosecond),(25,30) the electron transfer between FAD* and the electrode is unlikely to ensue.”
BackgroundInfluentialLarge Magneto-Current Effect in the Electrochemical Detection of Oxalate in Aqueous Solution
Pan, H., Wang, M., Shen, Y. F., & Hu, B. (2018) · The Journal of Physical Chemistry C · doi:10.1021/acs.jpcc.8b04193 · Cited by 16
Unravelling the enigma of bird magnetoreception
Warrant, E. J. (2021) · Nature · doi:10.1038/d41586-021-01596-6 · Cited by 16
Learned and spontaneous magnetosensitive behaviour in the Roborovski hamster (Phodopus roborovskii)
Malewski, S., Begall, S., & Burda, H. (2018) · Ethology · doi:10.1111/eth.12744 · Cited by 16
Some recommendations for experimental work in magnetobiology, revisited
Makinistian, L., Muehsam, D. J., Bersani, F., & Belyaev, I. Y. (2018) · Bioelectromagnetics · doi:10.1002/bem.22144 · Cited by 16
“These controversies have been strongly quenched by an overwhelming amount of experimental evidence, along with a rather successful number of theoretical models that provided plausible explanations to the “paradox” [Muehsam and Pilla, 1994; Weaver et al., 2000; Binhi, 2002; Binhi and Rubin, 2007; Muehsam and Pilla, 200…”
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
Arabidopsis cryptochrome and Quantum Biology: new insights for plant science and crop improvement
Pooam, M., El-Esawi, M. A., Aguida, B., & Ahmad, M. (2020) · Journal of Plant Biochemistry and Biotechnology · doi:10.1007/s13562-020-00620-6 · Cited by 16
Role of chiral-induced spin selectivity in the radical pair mechanism of avian magnetoreception
Tiwari, Y., & Poonia, V. S. (2022) · Physical review. E · doi:10.1103/physreve.106.064409 · Cited by 17
Mannino, G., Casacci, L. P., Dolino, G. B., Badolato, G., Maffei, M. E., & Barbero, F. (2023) · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · doi:10.3390/ijms24054387 · Cited by 15
“, magnetically sensitive chemical intermediates that are formed by photoexcitation of cryptochrome [12,13], which is present in animals [14], humans [15], and plants [16]); (ii) the presence of magnetic field (MF) sensory receptors described in magnetotactic bacteria [17]; (iii) the presence of electroreceptors in ela…”
BackgroundHagstrum, J. T. (2023) · Journal of Comparative Physiology A · doi:10.1007/s00359-023-01627-9 · Cited by 15
“…photoexcitation of cryptochrome proteins within the organism’s retina (Schulten et al. 1978; Ritz and Schulten 2000; Wiltschko and Wiltschko 2014; Hore and Mouritsen 2016), whereas a magnetite-based hypothesis involves detection of GMF-induced movements of single-domain biogenic magnetite…”
Insect magnetoreception: a Cry for mechanistic insights
Merlin, C. (2023) · Journal of Comparative Physiology A · doi:10.1007/s00359-023-01636-8 · Cited by 16
“In this species, CRY2 immunolocalization revealed an orderly pattern of cellular expression just underneath the pigmented layer of the retina, consistent with the widely accepted view that molecules that are necessary for the transduction of a magnetic stimulus into a cellular response should be oriented in an orderly…”
BackgroundInfluentialOn 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
Gurhan, H., & Barnes, F. S. (2023) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-023-41167-5 · Cited by 15
“Moreover, this paper proposes a mechanism through which an RF magnetic field with nano-Tesla (nT) intensity can alter growth rates and the production rate of ROS and RNS, drawing upon the previously discovered phenomenon known as the "Radical Pair Mechanism" 9 .”
BackgroundSpin chemistry in living systems
Hore, P. J. (2024) · National Science Review · doi:10.1093/nsr/nwae126 · Cited by 15
Self-citationThe 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
Ultrafast flavin/tryptophan radical pair kinetics in a magnetically sensitive artificial protein
Bialas, C., Barnard, D. T., Auman, D. B., McBride, R. A., Jarocha, L. E., Hore, P. J., Dutton, P. L., Stanley, R. J., & Moser, C. C. (2019) · Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics · doi:10.1039/c9cp01916b · Cited by 15
Self-citationThöni, V., Oliva, R., Mauracher, D., & Egg, M. (2021) · Chronobiology International · doi:10.1080/07420528.2021.1910288 · Cited by 18
“1978) and reviewed recently by Hore and Mouritsen (Hore and Mouritsen 2016).”
BackgroundMethodSelective induction of rapid cytotoxic effect in glioblastoma cells by oscillating magnetic fields
Helekar, S. A., Hambarde, S., Ijare, O. B., Pichumani, K., Baskin, D. S., & Sharpe, M. A. (2021) · Journal of Cancer Research and Clinical Oncology · doi:10.1007/s00432-021-03787-0 · 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-citationInfluence of hypomagnetic field on the heartbeat in zebrafish embryos
Крылов, В. В., Machikhin, A. S., Sizov, D. A., Guryleva, A. V., Sizova, A. A., Zhdanova, S. M., Tchougounov, V. K., & Burlakov, A. B. (2022) · Frontiers in Physiology · doi:10.3389/fphys.2022.1040083 · Cited by 14
“Often-discussed hypotheses consider the magnetic impact on the magnetic nanoparticles in living tissues (Walker, 2008), the precession of magnetic moment (Belova and Pancheliuga, 2010), and the rate of reactions that involve spin-correlated radical pairs (Hore and Mouritsen, 2016).”
BackgroundVӧlker, L. A., Herb, K., Janitz, E., Degen, C. L., & Abendroth, J. M. (2023) · The Journal of Chemical Physics · doi:10.1063/5.0145466 · Cited by 14
Avian cryptochrome 4 binds superoxide
Deviers, J., Cailliez, F., de la Lande, A., & Kattnig, D. R. (2023) · Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal · doi:10.1016/j.csbj.2023.12.009 · Cited by 17
“The spin-state of this radical pair evolves between electronic singlet and triplet states as a consequence of magnetic interactions, which modulates its ability to undergo spin-selective back electron transfer to reform the resting state [1].”
Orientation and navigation in Bufo bufo: a quest for repeatability of arena experiments
Pail, M., Landler, L., & Gollmann, G. (2020) · Herpetozoa · doi:10.3897/herpetozoa.33.e52854 · Cited by 14
“Currently, there are three main hypotheses of magnetoreception: 1) the light-dependent mechanism, based on the formation of spin-correlated radical pairs (Hore and Mouritsen 2016); 2) magnetite-based magnetoreception, based on small clusters of magnetite which might be tethered to ion channels (Kirschvink et al.”
BackgroundEinstein, 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
Hamada, M., Iwata, T., Fuki, M., Kandori, H., Weber, S., & Kobori, Y. (2021) · Communications Chemistry · doi:10.1038/s42004-021-00573-4 · Cited by 14
Magnetoreception of Invertebrates
Vácha, M. (2017) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oxfordhb/9780190456757.013.16 · Cited by 15
Role of atomic spin-mechanical coupling in the problem of a magnetic biocompass
Cao, Y., & Yan, P. (2018) · Physical review. E · doi:10.1103/physreve.97.042409 · Cited by 14
Malkemper, E. P., & Peichl, L. (2018) · The Journal of Comparative Neurology · doi:10.1002/cne.24493 · Cited by 14
Applications of molecular modeling to flavoproteins: Insights and challenges
Sjulstok, E., Solov’yov, I. A., & Freddolino, P. L. (2019) · Methods in enzymology on CD-ROM/Methods in enzymology · doi:10.1016/bs.mie.2019.03.014 · Cited by 14
Metal nanoparticle alters adenine induced charge transfer kinetics of vitamin K3 in magnetic field
Behera, R. K., Sau, A., Mishra, L., Mondal, S., Bera, K., Kumar, S., Basu, S., & Sarangi, M. K. (2020) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-020-75262-8 · Cited by 14
Observations 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
Putman, N. F. (2022) · Journal of Comparative Physiology A · doi:10.1007/s00359-021-01538-7 · Cited by 14
“In the present framing of the chemical-based magnetoreception hypothesis, cryptochromes form radical pairs (pairs of unpaired electrons) that, when provided additional energy from visible light, can react with Earth’s magnetic field (Hore and Mouritsen 2016).”
BackgroundNeuronal circuits and the magnetic sense: central questions
Malkemper, E. P., Nimpf, S., Nordmann, G. C., & Keays, D. A. (2020) · Journal of Experimental Biology · doi:10.1242/jeb.232371 · Cited by 13
“The radical pair theory hypothesises that light induces the formation of radical pairs, and that the spin state of these electrons is influenced by the local magnetic environment, which in turn influences the biochemical properties of a molecular sensor (Hore and Mouritsen, 2016).”
BackgroundResidential extremely low frequency magnetic fields and skin cancer
Khan, M. W., Juutilainen, J., Naarala, J., & Roivainen, P. (2021) · Occupational and Environmental Medicine · doi:10.1136/oemed-2021-107776 · Cited by 13
Statistical Amplification of the Effects of Weak Magnetic Fields in Cellular Translation
Binhi, V. N. (2023) · Cells · doi:10.3390/cells12050724 · Cited by 13
“Until now, to explain biological magnetic effects on the basis of the RPM, one had to assume a long thermal relaxation time of electron spins in biological tissues, on the order of 100 ns and more [55].”
BackgroundUzhytchak, M., Smolková, B., Frtús, A., Stupakov, A., Lunová, M., Scollo, F., Hof, M., Jurkiewicz, P., Sullivan, G. J., Dejneka, A., et al. (2023) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-023-38015-x · Cited by 13
Spinning magnetic field patterns that cause oncolysis by oxidative stress in glioma cells
Hambarde, S., Manalo, J. M., Baskin, D. S., Sharpe, M. A., & Helekar, S. A. (2023) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-023-46758-w · Cited by 18
Analysis of zebrafish cryptochrome 2 and 4 expression in UV cone photoreceptors
Balay, S. D., Widen, S. A., & Waskiewicz, A. J. (2020) · Gene Expression Patterns · doi:10.1016/j.gep.2020.119100 · Cited by 13
Zhukov, I. V., Kiryutin, A. S., Panov, M. S., Fishman, N. N., Morozova, O. B., Lukzen, N. N., Ivanov, K. L., Vieth, H., Зиннурович, С. Р., & Yurkovskaya, A. V. (2021) · Magnetic Resonance · doi:10.5194/mr-2-139-2021 · Cited by 13
“A review on the radical-pair mechanism (RPM) of magnetoreception as a leading hypothesis to explain bird navigation can be found in the literature (Hore and Mouritsen, 2016).”
Background
Metadata
- Authors
- Hore, P. J., & Mouritsen, H.
- Affiliations
- University of Oxford (GB)
- Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg (DE)
- Corresponding author
- Mouritsen, Henrik
- Venue
- Annual Review of Biophysics
- Publisher
- Annual Reviews
- Published
- 2016-07-05
- Volume
- 45
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 299-344
- ISSN
- 1936-122X (ISSN-L)
- 1936-1238
- OpenAlex
- W2342982958
- Cited by
- 813
- References
- 222
- Citations by year
- 2026: 119 · 2025: 96 · 2024: 83 · 2023: 89 · 2022: 80 · 2021: 100 · 2020: 72 · 2019: 64 · 2018: 55 · 2017: 39 · 2016: 13
- FWCI
- 6.91
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- bronze
- doi.org
- Locations
- Annual Review of Biophysics (publishedVersion)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Funders
- EMF Biological Research Trust
- European Commission (FP7/2007–2013/ERC, 2007–2013, FP7 2007-2013, FP7/2007)
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (GRK1885, FP7/2007–2013)
- Volkswagen Foundation
- U.S. Air Force (FA9550)
- Advanced Research Projects Agency
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EP/L011972/1)
- 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
- magnetoreception, radical pairs, cryptochrome, bird migration, magnetic field sensing, photoexcitation, radical pair mechanism, sensory biology
- MeSH terms
- Animals, Birds, Free Radicals, Retina, Space Perception, Animal Migration, Cryptochromes, Magnetic Fields
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
