A hybrid compass mechanism combining radical pairs and magnetite crystals.
Saved in:
| Title: | A hybrid compass mechanism combining radical pairs and magnetite crystals. |
|---|---|
| Authors: | Hore, P. J.1 peter.hore@chem.ox.ac.uk |
| Source: | Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. 2/24/2026, Vol. 123 Issue 8, p1-7. 19p. |
| Subjects: | Magnetite crystals, Magnetoreception, Magnetic sensors, Detectors, Geminate pairs (Molecules), Cryptochromes, Geomagnetism, Migratory birds |
| Abstract: | That night-migratory songbirds have a magnetic compass sense is undisputed. The nature of the sensor, however, is far from certain. The two leading hypotheses are organic radical pairs in cryptochrome flavoproteins and crystals of inorganic magnetic minerals such as magnetite. Here, we propose a magnetoreception mechanism that combines radical pair chemistry with magnetite nanoparticles. Instead of directly detecting the tiny dependence of a radical pair reaction on the direction of the Earth's (~50 μT) magnetic field, this hybrid sensor uses a magnetic particle to amplify the Earth's field. Directional information is thereby encoded in the response of nearby radical pairs to the intensity of a much stronger (~5 mT) magnetic field. The result is a magnetoreceptor with potentially 10 to 100-fold greater sensitivity than afforded by radical pairs alone. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR] |
| Copyright of Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America is the property of National Academy of Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites without the copyright holder's express written permission. Additionally, content may not be used with any artificial intelligence tools or machine learning technologies. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.) | |
| Database: | Engineering Source |
Be the first to leave a comment!
