A New Type of Radical-Pair-Based Model for Magnetoreception

A. Marshall Stoneham; Erik M. Gauger; Kyriakos Porfyrakis; Simon C. Benjamin; Brendon W. Lovett

doi:10.1016/j.bpj.2012.01.007

A New Type of Radical-Pair-Based Model for Magnetoreception

A. Marshall Stoneham, Erik M. Gauger^*, Kyriakos Porfyrakis, Simon C. Benjamin, Brendon W. Lovett

^*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/debate › peer-review

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Abstract

Certain migratory birds can sense the Earth's magnetic field. The nature of this process is not yet properly understood. Hereweoffer a simple explanation according to which birds literally see the local magnetic field through the impact of a physical rather than a chemical signature of the radical pair: a transient, long-lived electric dipole moment. Based on this premise, our picture can explain recent surprising experimental data indicating long lifetimes for the radical pair. Moreover, there is a clear evolutionary path toward this field-sensing mechanism: it is an enhancement of a weak effect that may be present in many species.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	961-968
Number of pages	8
Journal	Biophysical Journal
Volume	102
Issue number	5
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bpj.2012.01.007
Publication status	Published - 7 Mar 2012

Keywords

Photoreceptor-based magnetoreception
Magnetic compass orientation
Electric-field
Chemical magnetoreception
Bacteriorhodopsin BR570
Avian magnetoreception
Migratory birds
Homing pigeons
DNA photolyase
Mechanism

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10.1016/j.bpj.2012.01.007

stoneham2012biophysj961
© 2012 by the Biophysical Society. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/
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title = "A New Type of Radical-Pair-Based Model for Magnetoreception",

abstract = "Certain migratory birds can sense the Earth's magnetic field. The nature of this process is not yet properly understood. Hereweoffer a simple explanation according to which birds literally see the local magnetic field through the impact of a physical rather than a chemical signature of the radical pair: a transient, long-lived electric dipole moment. Based on this premise, our picture can explain recent surprising experimental data indicating long lifetimes for the radical pair. Moreover, there is a clear evolutionary path toward this field-sensing mechanism: it is an enhancement of a weak effect that may be present in many species.",

keywords = "Photoreceptor-based magnetoreception, Magnetic compass orientation, Electric-field, Chemical magnetoreception, Bacteriorhodopsin BR570, Avian magnetoreception, Migratory birds, Homing pigeons, DNA photolyase, Mechanism",

author = "Stoneham, {A. Marshall} and Gauger, {Erik M.} and Kyriakos Porfyrakis and Benjamin, {Simon C.} and Lovett, {Brendon W.}",

note = "This work was supported by the National Research Foundation and Ministry of Education, Singapore; the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (UK); and the Quantum Information Processing Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration (grant No. GR/S82176/01). B.W.L. thanks the Royal Society for a University Research Fellowship.",

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doi = "10.1016/j.bpj.2012.01.007",

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AU - Stoneham, A. Marshall

AU - Gauger, Erik M.

AU - Porfyrakis, Kyriakos

AU - Benjamin, Simon C.

AU - Lovett, Brendon W.

N1 - This work was supported by the National Research Foundation and Ministry of Education, Singapore; the Engineering & Physical Sciences Research Council (UK); and the Quantum Information Processing Interdisciplinary Research Collaboration (grant No. GR/S82176/01). B.W.L. thanks the Royal Society for a University Research Fellowship.

PY - 2012/3/7

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N2 - Certain migratory birds can sense the Earth's magnetic field. The nature of this process is not yet properly understood. Hereweoffer a simple explanation according to which birds literally see the local magnetic field through the impact of a physical rather than a chemical signature of the radical pair: a transient, long-lived electric dipole moment. Based on this premise, our picture can explain recent surprising experimental data indicating long lifetimes for the radical pair. Moreover, there is a clear evolutionary path toward this field-sensing mechanism: it is an enhancement of a weak effect that may be present in many species.

AB - Certain migratory birds can sense the Earth's magnetic field. The nature of this process is not yet properly understood. Hereweoffer a simple explanation according to which birds literally see the local magnetic field through the impact of a physical rather than a chemical signature of the radical pair: a transient, long-lived electric dipole moment. Based on this premise, our picture can explain recent surprising experimental data indicating long lifetimes for the radical pair. Moreover, there is a clear evolutionary path toward this field-sensing mechanism: it is an enhancement of a weak effect that may be present in many species.

KW - Photoreceptor-based magnetoreception

KW - Magnetic compass orientation

KW - Electric-field

KW - Chemical magnetoreception

KW - Bacteriorhodopsin BR570

KW - Avian magnetoreception

KW - Migratory birds

KW - Homing pigeons

KW - DNA photolyase

KW - Mechanism

U2 - 10.1016/j.bpj.2012.01.007

DO - 10.1016/j.bpj.2012.01.007

M3 - Comment/debate

SN - 0006-3495

VL - 102

SP - 961

EP - 968

JO - Biophysical Journal

JF - Biophysical Journal

IS - 5

ER -

A New Type of Radical-Pair-Based Model for Magnetoreception

Abstract

Keywords

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