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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.
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“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]
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“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]
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“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]
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“The Radical Pair Mechanism (RPM) proposes that magnetic fields can influence chemical reactions by modulating the quantum spin dynamics of transient radical pairs.”
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Citations
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Magnetic body alignment in migratory songbirds: A computer vision approach
Bianco, G., Köhler, R. C., Ilieva, M., & Åkesson, S. (2019) · Journal of Experimental Biology · doi:10.1242/jeb.196469 · Cited by 8
“Such studies could, for example, include investigations of the involvement of the radical-pair mechanism (see also above; Hore and Mouritsen, 2016), or effects of artificial human-generated oscillatory radio-frequencies (Engels et al.”
BackgroundSelective 13C labelling reveals the electronic structure of flavocoenzyme radicals
Schleicher, E., Rein, S., Illarionov, B. A., Lehmann, A., Said, T. A., Kacprzak, S., Bittl, R., Bacher, A., Fischer, M. J., & Weber, S. (2021) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-021-97588-7 · Cited by 8
Wang, S., 安徽大学物质科学与信息技术学院, 安. 合. 2., Zhang, P., Fei, F., Tong, T., Zhou, X., Zhou, Y., Zhang, J., Wei, M., Zhang, Y., et al. (2023) · 动物学研究 · doi:10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2023.138 · Cited by 8
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“Exposure to ELF EMF can alter the spin states of radical pairs, increasing the rate of O₂ − production (32).”
The Role of Pulsed Electromagnetic Fields on the Radical Pair Mechanism
Castello, P. R., Jiménez, P., & Martino, C. F. (2021) · Bioelectromagnetics · doi:10.1002/bem.22358 · Cited by 8
“Of the several potential mechanisms cited, the spin‐correlated radical pair mechanism (RPM) offers, in our opinion, the best understood and established explanation of how magnetic fields might influence biochemical reactions [Steiner and Ulrich, 1989; Hore and Mouritsen, 2016].”
BackgroundThe three-dimensional structure of Drosophila melanogaster (6–4) photolyase at room temperature
Cellini, A., Wahlgren, W. Y., Henry, L., Pandey, S., Ghosh, S., Castillon, L., Claesson, E., Takala, H., Kübel, J., Nimmrich, A., et al. (2021) · Acta Crystallographica Section D Structural Biology · doi:10.1107/s2059798321005830 · Cited by 8
"Magnetc Torque in Superoxide Ion is the Main Driving Force of Dioxygen Activation in Aerobic Life"
Minaev, B. F. (2021) · Biomedical Journal of Scientific & Technical Research · doi:10.26717/bjstr.2021.38.006171 · Cited by 8
“This 1-H-3-hydroxy-4-oxoquinaldine 2,4-dioxygenase (enzyme named as HOD) [33] is capable to decompose 2-alkyl-3-hydroxy-4(1H)-quinolone (AHQ) substrate by dioxygen and produce N-acetyl-anthranilate + CO products [52].”
BackgroundResultInfluentialThe importance of time of day for magnetic body alignment in songbirds
Bianco, G., Köhler, R., Ilieva, M., & Åkesson, S. (2022) · Journal of Comparative Physiology A · doi:10.1007/s00359-021-01536-9 · Cited by 8
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BackgroundEffects of Moderate to High Static Magnetic Fields on Reproduction
Song, C., Yu, B., Wang, J., Zhu, Y., & Zhang, X. (2022) · Bioelectromagnetics · doi:10.1002/bem.22404 · Cited by 8
“…cellular ROS levels could be affected by various SMFs [Van et al., 2019; Carter et al., 2020; Song et al., 2021; Yu et al., 2021], and the radical pair mechanism (RPM) may provide an explanation for the magnetosensitivity of chemical reactions [Hore and Mouritsen, 2016; Van Huizen et al., 2019].”
BackgroundPhotosensory and Signaling Properties of Cryptochromes
Fraikin, G. Y. (2022) · Moscow University Biological Sciences Bulletin · doi:10.3103/s0096392522020031 · Cited by 8
On the energetic differences of avian cryptochromes 4 from selected species
Hanić, M., Frederiksen, A., Schuhmann, F., & Solov’yov, I. A. (2022) · The European Physical Journal D · doi:10.1140/epjd/s10053-022-00520-5 · Cited by 8
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Hughes, J. A., Hardman, S. J. O., Scrutton, N. S., Graham, D. M., Woodward, J. R., & Jones, A. R. (2019) · The Journal of Chemical Physics · doi:10.1063/1.5127258 · Cited by 8
Khan, M. W., Juutilainen, J., & Roivainen, P. (2019) · Bioelectromagnetics · doi:10.1002/bem.22228 · Cited by 8
“…biological effects at low environmental levels of ELF MFs is lacking, although the radical pair mechanism (MF effects on recombination of radical pairs) has gained some credibility as a possible mechanistic explanation [WHO, 2007; Prato, 2015; Hore and Mouritsen, 2016; Juutilainen et al., 2018].”
Magnetic fields for modulating the nervous system
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Activation of Cryptochrome 4 from Atlantic Herring
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From skylight cues to magnetic fields: the toolkit of insect long-distance navigation
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“A leading explanation for these effects is the radical pair mechanism (RPM) ( 8 , 11 , 12 ).”
Homing pigeon navigation relies on superparamagnetic macrophages under overcast conditions
Lisowski, C., Quetting, M., Klaus, D., Lazarevski, L., Seep, L., Germer, M., Li, J., Müller, I., Zúñiga, D., Fiedler, W., et al. (2026) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.ady2486 · Cited by 7
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“Specifically, the formation of radical pairs is directly related to chlorophyll molecules in plant cells, which are candidate molecules considered magnetoreceptors (Hore and Mouritsen 2016).”
Understanding the Red Shift in the Absorption Spectrum of the FAD Cofactor in ClCry4 Protein
Kretschmer, K., Frederiksen, A., Reinholdt, P., Kongsted, J., & Solov’yov, I. A. (2024) · The Journal of Physical Chemistry B · doi:10.1021/acs.jpcb.4c00710 · Cited by 7
Chow, S.-C., Zhang, Y., Ng, R. W. M., Hui, S. Y. R., Solov’yov, I. A., & Lui, W. (2024) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2024.1425023 · Cited by 8
“Transient radicals are abundant in cells which may interact with RF-EMF, resulting in alteration of the ROS balance (4–6).”
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“The interconversion of these states is driven by magnetic interactions, predominantly hyperfine interactions, and can be influenced by even weak applied magnetic fields if the involved superposition states are sufficiently long-lived (on the order of 700 ns for a 50 µ T magnetic field [13]).”
InfluentialMorphology and connectivity of retinal horizontal cells in two avian species
Günther, A., Balaji, V., Leberecht, B., Forst, J. J., Rotov, A. Y., Woldt, T., Abdulazhanova, D., Mouritsen, H., & Dedek, K. (2025) · Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fncel.2025.1558605 · Cited by 6
“…the blue-light absorbing and magnetically sensitive protein, Cryptochrome 4 (Chetverikova et al., 2022; Günther et al., 2018; Xu et al., 2021), which is thought to be the primary magnetic sensor in light-dependent, radical-pair-based magnetoreception (Hore and Mouritsen, 2016; Mouritsen, 2018).”
Self-citationPossible Mechanism for Synchronized Detection of Weak Magnetic Fields by Nerve Cells
Barnes, F. S., & Greenebaum, B. (2020) · Bioelectromagnetics · doi:10.1002/bem.22251 · Cited by 7
“The chromophores, which are hypothesized to be affected by the external magnetic field through the radical pair mechanism, are closely coupled to the pattern recognition system already available in the eye [Du et al., 2014; Hiscock et al., 2016; Hore and Mouritsen, 2016; Procopio and Ritz, 2016].”
CRY1 Gene Polymorphism and Racing Performance of Homing Pigeons
Dybus, A., KULIG, H., Yu, Y., Lanckriet, R., Proskura, W. S., & Cheng, Y.-H. (2021) · Animals · doi:10.3390/ani11092632 · Cited by 7
“Cryptochrome proteins use light energy to form long-lived radical pairs [4,14] and enable these proteins to be magnetically sensitive [34,35].”
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“Among the most plausible primary mechanisms is the so-called radical pair mechanism (Hore and Mouritsen 2016).”
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“Another version of the RPM implicates a crytochrome moiety to form a radical pair with FADH• that then activates a downstream molecular cellular transducer in the presence of a magnetic field [15], such as an ion channel [16].”
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Perdeuterated Conjugated Polymers for Ultralow‐Frequency Magnetic Resonance of OLEDs
Milster, S., Grünbaum, T., Bange, S., Kurrmann, S., Kraus, H., Stoltzfus, D. M., Leung, A. E., Darwish, T. A., Burn, P. L., Boehme, C., et al. (2020) · Angewandte Chemie · doi:10.1002/ange.202002477 · Cited by 7
Nature's novel materials: A review of quantum biology
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Rishabh, R., Zadeh‐Haghighi, H., & Simon, C. (2023) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.1101/2023.12.11.571125 · Cited by 10
“In recent years, the radical pair mechanism (RPM) [2, 3] has been proposed as a quantum mechanical explanation for several WMF effects in biology [1, 4].”
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Binhi, V. N., & Rubin, A. B. (2023) · Физика биологии и медицины · doi:10.7256/2730-0560.2023.1.40435 · Cited by 6
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Sotoodehfar, A., Rishabh, R., Zadeh‐Haghighi, H., & Simon, C. (2024) · Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal · doi:10.1016/j.csbj.2024.11.032 · Cited by 6
“This structure is made by using the Ligand Reader and Modeler available in CHARMM-GUI [28,29].”
Babcock, N. S. (2024) · Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal · doi:10.1016/j.csbj.2024.11.030 · Cited by 8
Magnetoreception and the ruling hypothesis
Vortman, Y., Fitak, R. R., & Natan, E. (2025) · Journal of Experimental Biology · doi:10.1242/jeb.250252 · Cited by 6
Li, H., Fang, Y., & Huang, J. (2025) · Frontiers in Microbiology · doi:10.3389/fmicb.2025.1586233 · Cited by 6
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“…spin dynamics,[15, 16] even magnetic fields as weak as 50 µ T,[17] as has been suggested to play a role in the magnetic field sense of migratory birds,[18] so it stands to reason that radical pair reactions can also be sensitive to small perturbations from chirality-dependent spin-orbit coupling.”
Sheikder, C., Zhang, W., Chen, X., Li, F., Liu, Y., Zuo, Z., He, X., & Tan, X. (2025) · Sensors · doi:10.3390/s25216627 · Cited by 6
“However, autonomous navigation in these domains characterized by GPS denial, turbid waters, complex hydrodynamics, and feature-deficient seabeds remains a formidable challenge for robotic systems [1–3].”
Structure of European robin cryptochrome 1 reveals a role in circadian rhythms, not magnetoreception
Wickramaratne, A. C., Rasmussen, E. S., Chelliah, Y., Schuhmann, F., Solov’yov, I. A., Mouritsen, H., Green, C. B., Zoltowski, B. D., & Takahashi, J. S. (2025) · iScience · doi:10.1016/j.isci.2025.114015 · Cited by 6
Self-citationNonequilibrium fluctuation-response relations for state-current correlations
Ptaszyński, K., Aslyamov, T., & Esposito, M. (2026) · Physical review. E · doi:10.1103/4htr-dfc5 · Cited by 6
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“…magnetic compass information through a process of light-dependent radical pairs in cryptochromes, light-sensitive proteins present in all cells of the animal ’ s body and the only known vertebrate photo-pigments that can form long-lived, spin-correlated radical pairs upon light absorption [5,6].”
BackgroundOn the evolutionary trail of MagRs
Zhang, J., 中国科学院合肥物质科学研究院强磁场科学中心, 安. 合. 2., Chang, Y., Zhang, P., Zhang, Y., Wei, M., Han, C., Wang, S., Lu, H., Cai, T., et al. (2024) · 动物学研究 · doi:10.24272/j.issn.2095-8137.2024.074 · Cited by 6
Magnetic transition of 1D ferromagnetic catalysts during the NO electroreduction
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Iversen, J. N., Fröhlich, J., Tai, Y. K., & Franco‐Obregón, A. (2024) · Bioengineering · doi:10.3390/bioengineering11070637 · Cited by 6
“This type of response would be consistent with the radical pair mechanism of magnetoreception [47], which has been shown to modulate mitochondrial energetics [48].”
BackgroundSlabý, P., Bartoš, P., Karas, J., Netušil, R., Tomanová, K., & Vácha, M. (2018) · Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnbeh.2018.00107 · Cited by 6
Distinguishing between coherent and incoherent signals in excitation-emission spectroscopy
Lünemann, D. C., Thomas, A. R., Xu, J., Bartölke, R., Mouritsen, H., Sio, A. D., & Lienau, C. (2021) · Optics Express · doi:10.1364/oe.428850 · Cited by 6
Self-citationZhang, Y., Zhang, Y., Zhao, J., He, J., Xuanyuan, Z., Pan, W., Sword, G. A., Chen, F., & Wan, G. (2023) · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · doi:10.3390/ijms241311101 · Cited by 6
“The enigmatic mechanisms underlying magnetoresponse, especially radical-pairbased magnetoreception or magnetosensitivity, have been extensively explored across various taxa and serve as a major area of study in quantum biology [4,6,7,9,11,70].”
BackgroundInfluentialMagnetometer-Detected Nuclear Magnetic Resonance of Photochemically Hyperpolarized Molecules
Chuchkova, L., Bodenstedt, S., Picazo‐Frutos, R., Eills, J., Tretiak, O., Hu, Y., Barskiy, D. A., de Santis, J., Tayler, M. C. D., Budker, D., et al. (2023) · The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters · doi:10.1021/acs.jpclett.3c01310 · Cited by 6
Nuclear spin effects in biological processes
Vardi, O., Maroudas‐Sklare, N., Kolodny, Y., Volosniev, A. G., Saragovi, A., Galili, N., Fererra, S., Ghazaryan, A., Yuran, N., Affek, H. P., et al. (2023) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.2300828120 · Cited by 7
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“Abstract or not [25], the master equation describing the time evolution of the radical-pair spin density matrix is the starting point for virtually all theoretical predictions relevant to the radical-pair mechanism.”
BackgroundThe geomagnetic field effects on animals: A review
Tian, L., & Pan, Y. (2018) · Chinese Science Bulletin (Chinese Version) · doi:10.1360/n972018-00650 · Cited by 6
Крылов, В. В., Chebotareva, Y. V., & Izyumov, Y. G. (2019) · Journal of Fish Biology · doi:10.1111/jfb.14150 · Cited by 6
Searching for magnetic compass mechanism in pigeon retinal photoreceptors
Rotov, A. Y., Cherbunin, R. V., Анашина, А., Kavokin, K. V., Chernetsov, N., Firsov, M. L., & Astakhova, L. A. (2020) · PLoS ONE · doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0229142 · Cited by 6
“The recent work by Mouritsen and co-workers also identified CRY1a in garden warbler Sylvia borin ganglion cells and large displaced ganglion cells, i.e. not in photoreceptors [29].”
BackgroundMethodInfluentialZhou, H., Yang, S., & Chen, F. (2020) · Frontiers in Microbiology · doi:10.3389/fmicb.2020.01112 · Cited by 6
Endless skies and open seas – how birds and fish navigate
Spiecker, L., Leberecht, B., Langebrake, C., Laurien, M., Apte, S., Mouritsen, H., Gerlach, G., & Liedvogel, M. (2021) · e-Neuroforum · doi:10.1515/nf-2021-0009 · Cited by 6
Self-citationLight-independent magnetosensitive behaviour in the Djungarian hamster ( Phodopus sungorus )
Malewski, S., Begall, S., & Burda, H. (2018) · Mammalian Biology · doi:10.1016/j.mambio.2018.03.015 · Cited by 6
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Self-citationKobori, Y., Kokado, Y., Kopp, K. L., Okamoto, T., & Fuki, M. (2025) · The Journal of Chemical Physics · doi:10.1063/5.0246608 · Cited by 5
Chirality-bolstered quantum Zeno effect enhances radical pair-based magnetoreception
Smith, L. D., Tallapudi, S., Denton, M. C. J., & Kattnig, D. R. (2025) · AVS Quantum Science · doi:10.1116/5.0277712 · Cited by 5
“The RPM describes how spin dynamics within radical pairs, appearing as short-lived intermediates in electron transfer reactions, acquire magnetic field sensitivity as a result of their coherent spin dynamics [4].”
Cascone, M., Mazzeo, P., Cupellini, L., & Mennucci, B. (2025) · The Journal of Physical Chemistry Letters · doi:10.1021/acs.jpclett.5c01814 · Cited by 5
Ma, Y., Wan, G., Ji, Y., Chen, H., Gao, B., Yu, D., Warrant, E. J., Wu, Y., Chapman, J. W., & Hu, G. (2026) · eLife · doi:10.7554/elife.109098.4 · Cited by 5
Syurakshin, A. V., Saleev, V. A., & Yushankhaï, V. Y. (2022) · Vestnik of Samara University Natural Science Series · doi:10.18287/2541-7525-2022-28-1-2-74-94 · Cited by 6
Bojarinova, J., Kavokin, K. V., Fedorishcheva, A., Sannikov, D., Cherbunin, R. V., Pakhomov, A. Y., & Chernetsov, N. (2023) · Journal für Ornithologie · doi:10.1007/s10336-023-02129-w · Cited by 5
“…finds a qualitative explanation in the model of the light-dependent magnetic compass of birds, based on cryptochrome molecules in the eyes (Ritz et al. 2000), due to the electron paramagnetic resonance in pho-toexcited radical-pairs (Timmel and Hore 1996; Ritz et al. 2004; Hore and Mouritsen 2016).”
Vӧlker, L. A., Herb, K., Merchant, D. A., Bechelli, L., Degen, C. L., & Abendroth, J. M. (2024) · Nano Letters · doi:10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c03064 · Cited by 5
Henshaw, D. L., & Philips, A. (2024) · International Journal of Radiation Biology · doi:10.1080/09553002.2024.2435329 · Cited by 5
“Longer-lived radicals have more time to take part in chemical reactions that are usually inaccessible in the S-state, including the opportunity to cause biological damage (Schulten et al. 1978; Brocklehurst and McLauchlan 1996; Rodgers 2009; Hore and Mouritsen 2016).”
Ikeya, N., Nasibulov, E. A., Ivanov, K. L., Maeda, K., & Woodward, J. R. (2018) · Molecular Physics · doi:10.1080/00268976.2018.1559954 · Cited by 5
Photochemistry and Signaling Activity of Plant Cryptochromes: A Review
Fraikin, G. Y., & Belenikina, N. S. (2023) · Biology Bulletin · doi:10.1134/s1062359022700157 · Cited by 5
“It is generally accepted that the formation of radical pairs that can be affected by weak magnetic fields underlies the magnetosensitivity of cryptochrome proteins (Hore and Mouritsen, 2016).”
BackgroundAnisotropic and Coherent Control of Radical Pairs by Optimized RF Fields
Tateno, A., Masuzawa, K., Nagashima, H., & Maeda, K. (2023) · International Journal of Molecular Sciences · doi:10.3390/ijms24119700 · Cited by 5
Magnetic isotope effects: a potential testing ground for quantum biology
Zadeh‐Haghighi, H., & Simon, C. (2023) · Frontiers in Physiology · doi:10.3389/fphys.2023.1338479 · Cited by 5
Karwinkel, T., Michael Winklhofer, A., Allenstein, D., Brust, V., Christoph, P., Holland, R. A., Hüppop, O., Steen, J., Bairlein, F., & Schmaljohann, H. (2024) · Journal of The Royal Society Interface · doi:10.1098/rsif.2023.0745 · Cited by 5
Tiwari, Y., Raghuvanshi, P. R., & Poonia, V. S. (2024) · Applied Physics Letters · doi:10.1063/5.0227302 · Cited by 5
“The radical pair mechanism involves electron transport steps during the formation and recombination [32, 38, 39].”
BackgroundTalbi, O., Zadeh‐Haghighi, H., & Simon, C. (2025) · Frontiers in Quantum Science and Technology · doi:10.3389/frqst.2025.1544473 · Cited by 5
Beutner, G., Yuh, H.-J., Goldenberg, I., Wallace, D. C., Porter, G. A., Jr., Moss, A. J., & Sheu, S. (2025) · Computational and Structural Biotechnology Journal · doi:10.1016/j.csbj.2025.11.055 · Cited by 5
Chen, J.-R., & Ke, S. (2018) · Physical Chemistry Chemical Physics · doi:10.1039/c8cp01497c · Cited by 5
Ohler, A. R., Long, H., Ohgo, K., Tyson, K., Murray, D., Davis, A., Whittington, C., Hvastkovs, E. G., Duffy, L. M., Haddy, A. E., et al. (2021) · Chemical Communications · doi:10.1039/d1cc00187f · Cited by 5
Ultrafast photoreduction dynamics of a new class of CPD photolyases
Lacombat, F., Espagne, A., Dozova, N., Plaza, P., Müller, P., Emmerich, H., Saft, M., & Essen, L. (2021) · Photochemical & Photobiological Sciences · doi:10.1007/s43630-021-00048-4 · Cited by 5
Kominis, I. K. (2023) · Advanced Quantum Technologies · doi:10.1002/qute.202300292 · Cited by 6
“Radical-pairs, pertinent to biological magnetic sensing [4, 5], are created by electron transfer from photoexcited donor-acceptor dyads DA (Fig.”
BackgroundPerception of static magnetic field by humans: a review
Chernetsov, N., Is, N., Zavarzina, N. Y., & KULBACH, O. S. (2021) · Biological Communications · doi:10.21638/spbu03.2021.208 · Cited by 5
“One system is believed to be localized in the retina and may be based on light-dependent biradical chemical reactions with cryptochrome as the sensory molecule (Hore and Mouritsen, 2016).”
BackgroundAntibiotics affect migratory restlessness orientation
Werber, Y., Natan, E., Lavner, Y., & Vortman, Y. (2022) · Journal of Ethology · doi:10.1007/s10164-022-00747-0 · Cited by 5
“2017), or radical pair spin state in macromolecules on the retina (Hore and Mouritsen 2016).”
BackgroundLodesani, A., Anders, G., Bougas, L., Lins, T., Budker, D., Fierlinger, P., & Aiello, C. D. (2024) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.1101/2024.10.10.617626 · Cited by 5
“There are also established migratory phenomena, such as the ability of birds to navigate at dusk, which are presumed to depend on Earth’s magnetic field [9], which is itself very weak.”
BackgroundMolecular Ratchets and Kinetic Asymmetry: Giving Chemistry Direction
Borsley, S., Leigh, D. A., & Roberts, B. M. W. (2024) · Angewandte Chemie · doi:10.1002/ange.202400495 · Cited by 4
Light-induced conformational switching and magnetic sensitivity of Drosophila cryptochrome
Chandler, S. A., Gehrckens, A. S., Shah, L. M. N., Buckton, K. E., Cao, G., Sen, N., Zollitsch, T. M., Rodriguez, R., Solov’yov, I. A., Schleicher, E., et al. (2025) · Structure · doi:10.1016/j.str.2025.08.003 · Cited by 6
Self-citationKurle-Tucholski, P., Wiebeler, C., Köhler, L., Qin, R., Zhao, Z., Šimėnas, M., Pöppl, A., & Matysik, J. (2024) · The Journal of Physical Chemistry B · doi:10.1021/acs.jpcb.4c00397 · Cited by 4
Braun, F. D., Scharff, T., Bange, S., Jiang, W., Darwish, T. A., Burn, P. L., Mkhitaryan, V. V., & Lupton, J. M. (2024) · Physical review. B./Physical review. B · doi:10.1103/physrevb.110.014204 · Cited by 4
“For example, at geomagnetic field strengths, * Contact author: vagharsh.mkhitaryan@ur.de simple polymer OLEDs can show anisotropic MR of 35%, conceivably providing a solid-state analogy to the radical-pair processes [3] that have been invoked to rationalize biological magnetoreception phenomena [4].”
BackgroundLevitt, B. B., Lai, H. C., Manville, A. M., & Scarato, T. (2025) · Frontiers in Public Health · doi:10.3389/fpubh.2025.1693873 · Cited by 6
“…electromagnetic perception is via a combination of a natural ferrous mineral called magnetite that has been found in every species studied (20), and through a complex free-radical pair reaction and conversion of electrons in a group of protein compounds known as cryptochromes (21, 22).”
Relationship between Avian Magnetic Compass and Photoreception: Hypotheses and Unresolved Questions
Astakhova, L. A., Rotov, A. Y., Kavokin, K. V., Chernetsov, N., & Firsov, M. L. (2020) · Biology Bulletin Reviews · doi:10.1134/s2079086420010028 · Cited by 5
Compass in the ear: can animals sense magnetic fields with hair cells?
Kavokin, K. V. (2022) · The European Physical Journal Special Topics · doi:10.1140/epjs/s11734-022-00654-y · Cited by 4
Bezchastnov, V. G., & Domratcheva, T. M. (2022) · The Journal of Chemical Physics · doi:10.1063/5.0133943 · Cited by 4
Kinetics of cone specific G-protein signaling in avian photoreceptor cells
Yee, C., Görtemaker, K., Wellpott, R., & Koch, K. (2023) · Frontiers in Molecular Neuroscience · doi:10.3389/fnmol.2023.1107025 · Cited by 4
“Cryptochrome (Cry) flavoproteins are currently discussed as the primary sensing molecule mediating a radical-pair mechanism (Schulten et al., 1978; Wiltschko et al., 1993; Ritz et al., 2000; Hore and Mouritsen, 2016) and different Cry isoforms are expressed in different layers of bird species (Liedvogel et al.”
BackgroundPotential-Tunable Magnetic Field Effects on Electrochemiluminescence
Pan, H., Zhou, J., & Liu, S. (2023) · The Journal of Physical Chemistry C · doi:10.1021/acs.jpcc.3c03902 · Cited by 4
Geomagnetic Anomaly in the Growth Response of Peat Moss Sphagnum riparium to Temperature
Mironov, V. L. (2023) · Plants · doi:10.3390/plants13010048 · Cited by 4
“The starting point for this is the formation of a radical pair, which is a natural magnetosensor, after the irradiation of a cryptochrome with blue light [20,21].”
BackgroundIntegrating electromagnetic cancer stress with immunotherapy: a therapeutic paradigm
Fuster, M. M. (2024) · Frontiers in Oncology · doi:10.3389/fonc.2024.1417621 · Cited by 4
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
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