2/4/2017 ASenseofMystery|TheScientistMagazine

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TheScientist August2013Issue Features CoverStory

A Sense of Mystery
Researchersfromvariousdisciplinesarehominginonthemechanicsofmagnetoreception,an
enigmaticsensethatsomeanimalsusetonavigatetheglobe.

ByDanCossins|August1,2013

224 52

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INGOARNDT/GETTYIMAGES

I
nasmall,pitchdarkroomatBaylorCollegeofMedicineinHouston,Texas,ahomingpigeonstandson
ametalplatform,itswingsrestrainedinaleatherharnessanditsheadheldinplacebyaplasticarm.
Theplatformsitsinthecenterofa2footcubicframecontainingelectricityconductingcoilsoneonevery
faceofthecube.Thecoilsareprogrammedtopreciselydelivermagneticfieldsfromanydirectioninthree
dimensionalspace.

Inanadjacentroomclutteredwithracksofwhirring,bleepingequipment,neuroscientistsDavidDickman
andLeQingWustareattheircomputerscreens.Thepigeonisstockstillasitissubjectedtoamagnetic
stimulusdirectedfromhundredsofdifferentpositions:thesurroundingcoilsgenerateafieldthat
incrementallymovesthrough360across4differentgreatcircleplanesintersectingthecenterofthe

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birdshead.Meanwhile,electrodesimplantedinthebirdsbrainrelaythespikingpatternsofindividual
neurons.Ittakesanhourtorecordasingleneuronsresponsetoallthedifferentlydirectedstimuli,and
thepigeongetstiredafterafewhours,sotheresearcherscanrecordfromnomorethan4neuronsper
day.

ThiswasDickmansandWusdailyroutine
throughoutthesummerof2009,astheystudied
theactivityof329neuronsinthebrainsofseven
Magnetoreception is a
differenthomingpigeons.Theresearcherswere
hopingtocatchthebraincellsintheactof
huge mystery. Thats what
respondingtomagneticfields,andthustobetter
understandhowhomingpigeons,likemanyother
makes this such an exciting
creatures,usetheEarthsmagneticfieldfor field. We simply dont know
navigation.Formonthstheyobservednothing
unfamiliarneuronsfiredatnormalrates, how they do this, so its
seeminglyunaffectedbychangesinmagneticfield.
Then,oneday,thescreendisplayedanunusual wide open to discovery.
spikingpattern.Irememberthatmoment,says
Dickman,whorealizedthenthattheydcaptured
forthefirsttimeaneuronrespondingto
informationaboutthebirdsmagneticsurroundings.Wewerejumpingupanddownwebrokeoutthe
champagne.

Overthecomingweeksandmonths,DickmanandWuidentified53differentneuronsinthevestibular
nuclei,brainregionslinkedtotheinnerear,thatarestronglymodulatedbymagneticstimuliatarangeof
intensitiesequivalenttothoseoftheEarthsmagneticfield.Eachcellisfinelytunedtoafieldcomingfrom
oneparticulardirection.Letssayyouhaveafieldpointingupfrombelowthebirdsnosetothetopofits
headatanangleof45degrees,saysDickman.Thereisaneuronthatismostactiveinresponsetothat,
andleastactivetoafieldfromtheoppositedirection,whilethereisanotherneuronthatrespondsbestto
[afieldpointingfrom]theoppositedirection.

Theyalsodiscoveredthattheneuronsaresensitivetothreedifferentaspectsofthegeomagneticfield:
direction,intensity,andpolarity.Thesearethethreecomponentsyouneedtodetermineyourposition
withinthethreedimensionalmagneticfield,saysDickman.Itisinformationderivedfromthistripartite
sensitivity,theresearchershypothesize,thathomingpigeonsmightusetopinpointtheirpositionmuch
ashumansuseaGPSunitinadditiontousingitlikeacompass,todeterminewhichwaytheyreheading.
Wedontknowthatforsureyet,Dickmanadds,butthatsourguess.

Althoughitisasizableachievement,DickmanandWusdiscoverydoesnotsolvethemysteryof
magnetoreception.Infact,inatleastonewaytheirfindingscomplicatethequesttounderstandthis
elusivesixthsense:thestudy,whichwaspublishedlastyear,1 indicatesthatreceptorssensingmagnetic
informationandpassingitontothebrainmightbefoundintheinnerear,whereasmostresearchershave
beenlookinginbeaks,snouts,andeyes.Adefinitivesensorhasyettobefound.

Indeed,thequestionofhowanimalscandetectmagneticfieldshasprovenmaddeninglydifficulttoanswer,
andscientistsareonlyjustbeginningtoelucidatethephysiologicalmechanismsbehindthismysterious
extrasense. Stay Con
Thisisasensethatdoesntexistinhumans,sowedonthaveanyintuitivefeelingforwhatitwouldbe
Scientist
liketoperceivemagneticfields,saysKenLohmann,aneurobiologistattheUniversityofNorthCarolinaat TheScie
ChapelHill,whostudiesthenavigationalabilitiesofseaturtlesandothermarineanimals.Inaddition, TheScie
unlikemostotherstimuli,magneticfieldsgorightthroughbiologicaltissue,soinprinciplethereceptors NeuroSc
couldbeanywhereinthebody,andtheymaynotbeclusteredinoneplace.
Genetics
[Magnetoreception]isahugemystery,saysDickman.Thatswhatmakesthissuchanexcitingfield.We Biology
simplydontknowhowtheydothis,soitswideopentodiscovery.
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Benchto
Magnetic suspicions The Scientist CellBiol
Fiftyyearsago,theveryideaofmagnetoreceptionwasthesubjectofridicule.In1968,Wolfgang Microbio
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Wiltschko,agraduatingzoologystudentatGoetheUniversityinFrankfurt,Germany,demonstratedthat CancerR
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thedirectioninwhichcagedEuropeanrobinstriedtofleeinthefallcouldbechangedfromitstypical
StemCe
southernbearingbyusingcoilsystemstosimulatemagneticnortharoundtheirenclosure.Itwasthe
firstrealevidenceofbirdsinternalmagneticcompass,butmostresearcherswereskeptical.Allprevious
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attemptstoprovetheexistenceofsuchasensehadfailed,andmanypeoplesimplydidnotbelievethatit
waspossibleforanimalstosensemagneticfieldsasweakasthosegeneratedbytheEarth.
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2/4/2017 ASenseofMystery|TheScientistMagazine

Today,itiswellknownthatdozens
ofspecies,frommigratorybirdsand
seaturtlestospinylobstersand
monarchbutterflies,havethe
abilitytosensedirectionand
navigateusingtheEarths
magneticfield.Notonlydoesthe
fieldprovideacompass,allowing
animalstoorientthemselveswith
regardtonorthandsouthit
seemsthattheEarthsmagnetism
canalsoserveasakindofmap.

Intheyearsfollowinghis
experimentswithEuropeanrobins,
Wiltschkoteamedupwithhiswife,
Roswitha,alsoazoologistat
GoetheUniversity,todemonstrate ATTRACTIVEBUG:ThebacteriumMagnetobacteriumbavaricum
Current
thatthebirdscompasssenseis biomineralizeslargeamountsoftoothshapedmagnetitecrystals(each
basednotonthepolarityofthe 100nmlong).Arrangedinchains,themagnetitecrystalsallhave
Earthsmagneticfield,butonthe consistentmagneticpolarity,allowingthecelltoswimalongmagnetic
fieldlines.
anglesatwhichthefieldlines
COURTESYOFMARIANNEHANZLIK
intersecttheplanetssurface,
knownastheinclination.
Dependingonhowtheinclinationof
thefieldlineschangeastheyfly,
thebirdsperceivewhethertheyare
headingpolewardorequatorward
andgaugetheirapproximate
distancebetweenthemagnetic
equatorandthenearestmagnetic
pole.

Morerecently,scientistshavefound
thatanimalsalsousetheEarths
fieldlinesasmagneticsignposts
positionalinformationcreatedby ViewtheAp
uniquecombinationsoffield
inclinationandintensityatspecific
geographiclocations.Whathad
beenoverlookedisthatthosetwo Subscrib
parametersdontvaryintheexact All
samedirectionacrossthesurfaceof
TheNuts
theEarth,Lohmannsays.For
News&
example,loggerheadturtles
returningtotheUScoastas Careers
juvenilesafternavigatingtheNorth MAPLINES:TheEarthsgeomagneticfieldhastwopolesnorthand
Atlanticgyreaswirlingocean southalignedapproximatelywiththeplanetsaxisofrotation,muchas
currentneedtoadjusttheir ifabarmagnetwasembeddedataslightanglethroughthecenterof
swimmingdirectionatkeylocations theEarth.TheintensityofthefieldemanatingfromtheEarthssurface
toavoidbeingsweptoffcourse,and isstrongestatthemagneticpolesandweakestatthemagneticequator.
Lohmannhypothesizedthatthey Theangleatwhichthefieldlinesintersectthesurface,knownasthe
inclination,alsovariescontinuously,from0atthemagneticequatorto
mightbeusingtheinclinationand
+/?90atthepoles.Magnetismsensinganimalsusethesevariations
intensityanomaliestodetermine

intheintensityandinclinationoftheEarthsmagneticfieldfor
whereandwhentoturn. orientationandnavigation.
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In2011Lohmannandcolleagues The Scientist
testedthehypothesisbyplacing
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hatchlingsinatanksurroundedbymagneticcoilsandtetheringtheanimalstoaswingingmetalarmto
tracktheirorientation.Whenhatchlingswereexposedtomagneticfieldsmimickingthosefoundnear
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PuertoRicoorneartheCapeVerdeIslands,400milesoffthecoastofWestAfricatwolocationson
roughlythesamelatitudebutonoppositesidesoftheAtlantictheyswamintheappropriatedirectionto
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remainwithinthegyre.2 Thiswasthefirstevidencethatanimalscanencodeinformationaboutlongitude

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2/4/2017 ASenseofMystery|TheScientistMagazine

aswellaslatitude,anditsuggeststhatthetwocanbecombinedinananimalsbraintopinpointitsspecific
geographiclocation.

Wethinkdifferentareasalongthemigratorypathwayaremarkedbyuniquemagneticsignatures,andthe
turtleshaveevolvedresponsesthatarecoupledtothesesignatures,saysLohmann.

Theexistenceofthesignpostsenseandtheinternalcompassarenowgenerallyaccepted,andanumberof
scientiststhinkthatsomeanimalsmayhaveboth.Thesensoryandneuralmechanismsunderlyingthese
senses,however,aremorecontroversial.

A secret sense
Inthemid1970sresearchersdiscoveredthatbacterialivingatthebottomoftheoceancontain
microscopicmagnetiteparticlesarrangedinlinearchainsinsidethecells.(Seeimageonright.)These
stringsofmagnetiteanironbasedsubstancethatissensitivetomagneticfieldsalignwiththedirection
andinclinationoftheEarthsmagneticfieldlines,pointingthebacteriatowardtheirpreferredhabitatin
theseafloorsediment.

Nearly3decadeslater,researchersuseddyesthatbindtoironbasedmineralstoidentifysimilarlooking
ironrichparticlesintheupperbeakskinofhomingpigeons.By2010,theparticleshadalsobeenspotted
intheupperbeaksofchickens,Europeanrobins,andgardenwarblers.Theseputativemagnetiteclusters
werelocatedinthedendritesofsensorynervecells,seeminglyintegratingthemwiththecentralnervous
system.Whatsmore,severalstudieshavesuggestedthattheophthalmicbranchofthetrigeminalnerve,
whichinbirdscarriessignalsexclusivelyfromthebeak,transmitsmagneticinformationtothebrainsoall
signspointedtotheironbasedparticlesinthebeakbeingthemagneticsensors.

Butthathypothesiswasdealtasevereblowlastyear,withthepublicationofastudyrevealingthatthe
particlesinquestionareinfactcontainedinimmunecellscalledmacrophages,3 ratherthaninsensory
neurons,meaningtheyarenotlinkedtothebrainandarethereforeunlikelytobemagneticreceptors.
Thatwasquiteabigupheaval,saysMichaelWinklhofer,ageophysicistatLudwigMaximiliansUniversity
inMunich,Germany,particularlyforpeoplelookingformagnetitebasedreceptorsinbirds,whohaveto
startalloveragain.

Afewmonthslater,however,Winklhoferandcolleaguesidentifiedmagnetitecontainingcellsinthesnouts
ofrainbowtrout.Theresearcherssuspendedolfactoryepithelialcellsinliquidandplacedthemundera
microscopearoundwhichanartificialmagneticfieldwasrotatedanovelmethodfortestingcellular
responsestomagnetism.Sureenough,somecellsactuallyrotatedwiththefield.Althoughthesemagnetic
cellswerefewandfarbetweenroughly1inevery10,000cellsintheolfactoryepitheliumtheir
sensitivitytomagneticfieldswasmuchgreaterthanexpected,suggestingthatsuchcellsmaybecapable
ofdetectingsmallvariationsinthegeomagneticfield.

Studyingtheserotatingcellsonebyoneunderaconfocalreflectancemicroscope,Winklhoferandhisteam
noticedthateachonecontainedastructureofironrichcrystals,mostlikelymagnetite,attachedtothecell
membrane.4 Magnetiteclustersaligningtothemagneticfieldinnonmotilecellsintheolfactoryepithelium
oftroutmightputphysicalpressureonthecellmembrane,heproposes.Whenthemembraneis
stretched,mechanosensitiveionchannelsmayopenandchangetheelectricpotentialacrossthe
membrane,whichthenmighttriggeranerveimpulse.(Seeillustration.)Forthemoment,though,the
missinglinkinourstoryiswhetherthesecellsareneuronsornot,saysWinklhofer.

Nevertheless,headds,thenewmethodisagamechangerinthatitshouldallowustogetatthesecells
moreeasilyandstudytheminmoredetail.

AndthankstoDickmanandWus2012study,whichidentifiedmagneticallysensitiveneuronsinthe
vestibularnuclei,researchershaveexpandedthesearchformagnetismreceptorsbeyondthebeakand
snouttotheinnerear.Indeed,earlierthisyearanothergroupreportedthediscoveryofamembrane

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bound,ironrichorganelleinthecochlearandvestibularhaircellsofpigeonsandotherbirdspecies.5
Magnet eyes The Scientist
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Butsomescientistshaveanalternativeexplanationforthebiophysicalmechanismbehindmagnetic
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sensing.Inthelate1970sbiophysicistKlausSchulten,thenapostdocattheMaxPlanckInstitutefor
BiophysicalChemistryinGttingen,Germany,hadaninklingthatsomebizarrechemicalreactionshewas
studyingmightformthebasisofmagnetoreception.
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Schulten,nowattheUniversityofIllinoisat
UrbanaChampaign,waslookingatreactions
involvingradicalpairs.Electronsnormallywhirl
aroundtheiratomicnucleiinevennumbersandin
setorbits,withpairsofelectronsspinningontheir
axesinoppositedirections.Butlightcandisrupt
thisroutinebycausingelectronstojumpto
differentregionswithinthesamemoleculeorto
neighboringmolecules,resultinginpairsofradicals
moleculeswithunpairedelectrons.Inthis
transientstate,theunpairedelectronscanspinin
oneoftwoways:inthesamedirection,knownas
parallel,orinoppositedirections,knownas
antiparallelandtheamountoftimetheyspend
ineachstatecanbeinfluencedbymagneticfields.

Thesetwospinstatesarechemicallydifferent
certainreactionscanonlytakeplacewhen
unpairedelectronspinsareparallelandothers TheBiologyofMagnetoreception
onlywhentheyareantiparallel.Magneticfields ViewfullsizeJPG|PDF
caninfluencetheoutcomeorspeedofchemical CATHERINEDELPHIA

reactionsinvolvingradicalpairsbycausingflips
betweenthetwospinstatesandbycontrollingthe
relativeamountoftimethemolecularplayersspendineach.Suchfluctuationsinreactionscouldinturn
provideachemicalcueaboutthemagneticfield,whichcouldbepickedupbyasensoryneuron,Schulten
thought.

Ihadthiswonderfulproofofabiochemicalreaction...thatwasaffectedinveryweakfields,soI
thought,well,maybethatstheinternalcompassthebiologistswerelookingfor,hesays.

In1978,Schultensubmitteda
paperdetailinghistheoryto
Scienceandpromptlyreceiveda
rejectionnotethatread,Aless
boldscientistwouldhave
designatedthispieceofworkfor
thewastepaperbasket.
Undeterred,Schultenpublishedin
anobscureGermanjournal.Since
theformationofradicalpairsin
vitrorequiredlight,hethoughtthe
mostlikelysitefortheinteraction
inalivingcreaturewouldbethe
eye.Butatthetime,therewasno
knownphotoreceptorintheeye
capableofformingradicalpairs.

Thatchangedin1998,withthe
discoveryofabluelight
photoreceptorproteinthat
generatesradicalpairswhen
exposedtolight.Knownasa
cryptochrome,theproteinhas
sincebeenidentifiedintheretinal
tissueofseveralmigratorybirds
andofotheranimals,including
humans.Assumingthatthe
EuropeanRobin
ANDREW_HOWE/ISTOCKPHOTO.COM
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productsofradicalpairreactionsin The Scientist
cryptochromescouldinsomeway
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affectthesensitivityoflightreceptorsintheretina,SchultenandThorstenRitz,abiophysicistnowatthe
UniversityofCalifornia,Irvine,arguedinatheoreticalpaperpublishedin2000thatthemodulationof
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thesereactionsbymagneticfieldswouldaffectthevisualsystemofbirdstoprovidecompasscues.6 (See
illustration.)
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Intheinterveningyears,researchershaveproducedreamsofcircumstantialevidenceinsupportofthis
idea.In2004,forexample,RitzandtheWiltschkosshowedthathighfrequencyradiowaves,knownto
disruptthespinbehaviorofradicalpairsinvitro,stoppedrobinsfromnavigating.7 Threeyearslater,Henrik
Mouritsen,aneurobiologistattheUniversityofOldenburginGermany,andcolleaguesshowedthata
cryptochromeisolatedfromthegardenwarblerproduceslonglivedradicalpairs.8 Andin2011,the
Wiltschkosshowedthatoneofthefourknownbirdcryptochromesisfoundinallultraviolet/violetcone
cellsintheretinasofbothEuropeanrobinsandchickensspecifically,inthestackedmembranediscsof
thephotosensitiveoutersegmentoftheconecell,whichalsocontainsthevisualpigments.9

Whatwehaveisalotofevidencethatthenecessaryconditionsforthishypothesistobetruearein
place,saysRitz.Butthenyouneedtoconnectthesefindingswiththebehavioroftheanimals,and
thatswherewerefacedwithabiggap.

Someofthemostcompellingevidencefortheimportanceofcryptochromescamein2008,whenSteven
Reppert,aneurobiologistattheUniversityofMassachusettsMedicalSchoolinWorcester,andcolleagues
showedthatwildtypefruitfliesrespondedtomagneticfieldsunderfullspectrumlighttheycouldevenbe
trainedtofollowartificialmagneticcuestofindfoodbutwhentheteamblockedtheparticular
wavelengthsoflighttowhichcryptochromesaresensitive,thesamefliescouldnolongerdetectmagnetic
stimuli.Furthermore,mutantflieslackingthegeneforcryptochromedidnotrespondtomagneticfields
evenunderfullspectrumlight,10 andin2010,Reppertrescuedthemagnetosensoryabilityinmutantflies
bytransfectingthemwithtwodifferentcryptochromegenesfrommonarchbutterflies.11 Thedeletionand
replacementexperimentsreallysaidthatthecryptochromeisanessentialfeatureofthelightdependent
magneticsensingsysteminDrosophila,hesays.

Butthecaseisfarfromclosed.Firstofall,Reppertsflieswereexposedtomagneticfields8to10times
strongerthantheoneemanatingfromtheEarth.Moreover,Reppertsaysthatknockoutexperimentson
migratoryanimalswouldprovidemorecompellingevidenceanditsimportantthattheresultsare
replicatedwithindividualanimalsthatroutinelyreproducemagneticorientationbehaviorinthelabrather
thanthepopulationbasedstudieshisgroupperformedwithfruitflies.Unfortunately,thatsunlikelytobe
achievedwithbirdsorturtlesinthenearfuturebecauseofthedifficultiesassociatedwithcreatinggene
knockoutsandtransgeniclinesinsuchanimals,butReppertsayshisgroupismakingtremendous
progresswithmonarchbutterflies,whosegenomescanbemanipulated.

Proponentsofthecryptochrometheoryalsohaveyettoshowthatretinalneuronsrespondtovariationsin
Earthstrengthmagneticfieldstoelucidatethesignalingpathwaysthatconnectcryptochromestothe
nervoussystemortoexplainhowanimalsthatpossessthisvisuallymediatedcompassperceivethe
informationitprovidesthoughsomehavespeculatedthatthemagneticfieldmightappearaspatternsof
lightandshadesuperimposedontheanimalsvision.

Navigating the future

Despiterecentprogress,thefieldofmagnetoreceptionhasbeenhinderedbythefactthatmanyfindings
haveprovenverydifficulttoreplicate,saysMouritsen.Thefieldhasbeensloweddownbyanumberof
claimsthathaveturnedoutnottoberight,hesays.Onereasonforthisirreproducibilityisthathumans
lackthemagneticsense,soresearchersaresusceptibletomisinterpretingartifactsasrealresults.Itwill
behelpedalotifeverybodywouldstartdoingdoubleblindexperimentswithverycarefullycontrolledand
measuredstimuli,addsMouritsen.Ifthathappenswewouldmoveforwardmuchfaster.

Asitstands,thereareseveralhypothesessupportedbystrong,albeitnotyetconclusive,data.Most
researchersinthefieldagreethatthecompasssenseislikelyseatedincryptochromeswithintheeye,and
manyareconvincedthatthereisanothersense,mostlikelyasignpostsense,passedthroughthe
trigeminalnerveandprobablybasedonsomesortofironcontaining,magnetismsensingcellsinbeaksor
snouts.ThenthereisDickmanandWusidea:thatbothoftheseabilitiesmayrelyonreceptorsinthe
innerear.

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Moreover,Dickmanpointsout,thesemechanismsmaynotbemutuallyexclusive.Itcouldbethatthere

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aremultiple[receptor]sitesthatmaybeprovidingdifferentsortsofinformationaboutdifferentaspectsof
themagneticfield,whichthenconvergeinthebrain,hesays.
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Althoughtheresearcherswhohavecometogetherfromadiverserangeofdisciplinestounravelthe
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secretsofmagnetoreceptionarestillsomewayfromtheirfinaldestination,thereisapalpablesenseof
momentum.Itsreallytoughwork,butitsalsoexciting,saysWinklhofer,becauseeverybodywantsto
bethefirsttodemonstratehowthisextrasenseworks.
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References
1.L.Q.Wu,J.D.Dickman,
Neuralcorrelatesofa
magneticsense,Science,
336:105457,2012.
2.N.F.Putmanetal.,
Longitudeperceptionand
bicoordinatemagneticmaps
inseaturtles,CurrBiol,
21:46366,2011.
3.C.D.Treiberetal.,Clusters
ofironrichcellsintheupper
beakofpigeonsare
macrophagesnot
magnetosensitiveneurons,
Nature,484:36770,2012.
4.S.H.K.Ederetal.,Magnetic
characterizationofisolated
candidatevertebrate
magnetoreceptorcells,
PNAS,109:1202227,2012
5.M.Lauwersetal.,Aniron
richorganelleinthecuticular
plateofavianhaircells,Curr CompassEyes
Biol,23:92429,2013. ViewfullsizeJPG|PDF
CATHERINEDELPHIA
6.T.Ritzetal.,Amodelfor
photoreceptorbased
magnetoreceptioninbirds,
BiophysicalJournal,78:70718,2000.
7.T.Ritzetal.,Resonanceeffectsindicatearadicalpairmechanismforavianmagneticcompass,
Nature,429:17780,2004.
8.M.Liedvogeletal.,Chemicalmagnetoreception:birdcryptochrome1aisexcitedbybluelightand
formslonglivedradicalpairs,PLOSONE,2:e1106,2007.
9.C.Niessneretal.,Avianultraviolet/violetconesidentifiedasprobablemagnetoreceptors,PLOS
ONE,6:e20091,2011.
10.R.J.Gegearetal.,CryptochromemediateslightdependentmagnetosensitivityinDrosophila,
Nature,454:101418,2008.
11.R.J.Gegearetal.,Animalcryptochromesmediatemagnetoreceptionbyanunconventional
photochemicalmechanism,Nature,463:80407,2010.

Tags
navigation,migration,magneticsenseandanimalbehavior

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August1,2013

Intheabsenceofanytheoreticalreasonsordefinitiveempiricaldata,one
TSRaman
wouldbewelladvisedtobeextremelyskepticalabouttheexistenceof
Posts:50
"magnetoreceptors"inanyorganism.

SignintoReport

August6,2013

Thisisaveryinterestingarticleforme!

IfoundhereonTheScientistasetofarticlesaboutthecapacityofthe
Alexandru livingorganismsorientationtroughbiomagneticsensors.
Posts:87
http://www.thescientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/36722/title/ASense
ofMystery/

http://www.thescientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/36647/title/Finding
theWay/

http://www.thescientist.com//?
articles.view/articleNo/36881/title/MappingHumansMentalGPS/

Evenspatialcommunicationaffectspeopleeveryday,wecanbreakthe
barriersinspatialinteractionsandbiocommunicationsunderstandingonly
byintroducinginterdisciplinarystudies.Thefluidityofspaceconstraintsis
anintegralpartofspatialmagneticcommunication,buttheyarerigidin
accordancewiththesignalfrequency.

Becauseit'sverylowfrequency,themagneticmentalsignalmayradiateas
faras200feetaroundthelivingbodyandithasn'tgotthecapacityto
penetratethespaceatlongdistances.

Toreallypenetratethespaceatlongdistanceweneedveryhighfrequency
equipmentsasexistintelecommunications.

Haveyoulookedatthemitochondriaphysicalstructurethroughtheeyesof
theengineerspecializedinspatialcommunications?

Iamsureyouhavenotand,please,donot:"beextremelyskepticalabout
theexistenceofmagnetoreceptorsinanyorganism"(TSRamancomment)

"Thefieldofmagnetoreceptionhasbeenhinderedbythefactthatmany
findingshaveprovenverydifficulttoreplicate"(Mouritsen),becausethe
biomagnetoreceptorsarecontroledbythebrain.Iamsurethatthereisan
internalcommunicationchannelbetweenthebrainandthebioantennas
asexistinthesatellitetelecommunicationssystems(LMSClearning
managementsystemcontrol).Please,readtheresultofmyresearchabout
mitochondrialDNAsimilitudewith"magnetoreceptors":

Adam%20mtDNA%20inheritance%20theory.pdf
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Abstract:BrainandsoulstormingThenecessaryandsufficient
The Scientist
processestoawellfunctionofthehumanbodyaremeticulousarrangedby
specificorganizationalcells,socalledprocessbiomanagers,using
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interconditionedprocedures,transmittedthroughthreewaysof
communication:chemicalorproteinchannel,electricalorionchannel
dailynewsletterfromTheScientist
andmitochondrialorEMFwirelesschannel.Thethirdtypeisoutofthe
visibleandmeasurablespectrumandraisesanewchallengetothe
Signupforourfreenewsletter
scientist.Forthistypeofbiocommunicationwebringanewtheoretical
hypothesis,basedonthemanagerialmultidisciplinaryanalysisofa

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2/4/2017 ASenseofMystery|TheScientistMagazine

cyberneticmodelproposedbyus,bysimulatingthehumanbodyfunction
withthevirtualcomputerizedsystembasedonthemanagementofitstotal
knowledgeanditsperfectqualitywayoffunction.Themainbricksusedfor
thisvirtualconstructionare:thebrain,asmainbioprocessor,andEve
mtDNAandAdammtDNA,asbioantennas.Thisassemblyofthetotal
knowledge,buildwithbrainreasoning,biologicalfeeling,andunlimitedsoul
feeling,iscalledbyusmaindecisiontriangle,IQEQCQ.Themain
principleofthemanagementofthetotalknowledgeimposesustonot
neglecttheinformationproducedbymanduringthetime,evenifitseems
creasyatthebeginning(seebrainstormingdefinition).Becauseinthe
naturalfertilisationthespermatozoidsarenaturallyequippedwiththe
paternalmtDNA(itlookslikereflexklystronpoweramplifier,KPA=a
veritablemainbioGPS),weconsiderthatthepaternalmitochondriaDNA
haveaveryimportantroleintheevolutionofthehumanbeinglifequality
andwehavedevelopedanewhypothesis,AdammtDNAtheory,in
additiontoEvemtDNAtheory.Keywords:brain,mitochondria,maternal,
paternal.

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August6,2013

Enoughalready!!!
rosinbio
Posts:13
Nolivingorganismshaveanimatenagnetosensors,andnoneexcept
humans,cannavigatebyusingtheearth'smagneticfield,whichhumans
candoonlyprovidedtheyfashionpurchace,brrow,orstealaninanimate
magneticcompasswhichtheycandoonlybecausetheyalonehave
human"brains"!

Thosestillchasingafterthephantomofanimatemagnetosensorshaveonly
managedtoinnundatesciencewithahugeamountofworthlessgarbage

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August7,2013

Thisisanexcellentarticleandhelpsexplainwhysomanybirdsarehaving
CharlieH
problemsinnavigatingnearsourcesofmanmadeelectromagneticradiation
Posts:1
andfields.

Anotherarticlelookingatmagnetoreceptioninplantswouldbeinteresting.
Thigmonasticmovementsinresponsetoenvironmentalstimulus,foliar
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spiraldirectionandinfluencesonelectrosignallingaretopicswhichspring
tomind.
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August13,2013
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RoyNiles
http://www.thescientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/36722/title/ASenseofMystery/ 9/12
2/4/2017 ASenseofMystery|TheScientistMagazine

Posts:106
Whyarescientistssosurethathumanshavenomagneticsensing
capabilities?

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August26,2013

Howdovarioussubhumananimalsusetheearth'smagneticfieldto
rosinbio
navigate?Theydon't!
Posts:13
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August29,2013

ReRosenbioandRoyNilescomments:
Berwal
Posts:2
Onecanpostulateanegative,butlasttimeIchecked,provinganegativeis
notwhatwedoinscience.

Also,eachscientistspeaksforher/himself.Notforallofus.

Therewasatimewhenmostpeoplethoughttheworldwasflatandthat
nothingassmallasamicrobecouldharmahuman.

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May10,2014

Thisyearthereismoresubstantialevidenceemergingofquantumeffects
Anin
inthebiologicalprocessesofphotosynthesisandmagnetoreceptione.g
Posts:1
www.ucl.ac.uk/news/newsarticles/0114/090114Quantummechanics
explainsefficiencyofphotosynthesis

www.bbc.co.uk/news/scienceenvironment27313355

Perhapsratherthanjustrejectingtheideaofmagnetoreceptionasa
quantumprocess,weshouldbelookingatwhetherthereisanypotential
crossfertilisationofdataandtheoryacrossthetwoprocesses.

Forexampleitisincreasinglybeingrecognisedthatphotosynthesiswas
evolvedinplantsthroughendosymbiosisinvolvingphotosyntheticbacteria.

Soisitalsopossiblethatvariousspecieshaveevolvedtobe
magnetoreceptiveormagnetosenstiveduetoaformofendosymbisosis
withmagnetotacticbacteria?

"Thewidespreaddistributionoforganisms(bacteriathroughhigher
vertebrates)thataremagnetoreceptivearguesthatthissensory
modalityevolvedpriortotheradiationoftheanimalphylaand
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sharesacommonorigin.Inmicroorganisms,magnetoreception
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solvestheproblemoftherandomwalkinducedbyBrownian
motion,asmagneticorientationenergyistypicallyafactorof10or
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morethanbackgroundtrendenergyKT.Swimmingalongthe
dailynewsletterfromTheScientist
magneticfieldlinesallowthemtostayattheoxygengradientnear
themud/watertransition.Astheearlystagemetazoansalsolivedin
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anaqueousenvironment,navigationabilitiesoughttohavebeen

http://www.thescientist.com/?articles.view/articleNo/36722/title/ASenseofMystery/ 10/12
2/4/2017 ASenseofMystery|TheScientistMagazine

selectedforstrongly.Thusitisproposedthatthebiophysical
mechanismsformagnetoreceptivetransductioninthenervous
systemhaveevolvedasancestraltraitscommontoallanimalsand
notasseparateentitiesbetweengroups"seeJLKirschvink

http://f.z.nf/work/magnetite%2...

IthasalreadybeensuggestedthatCry1and2mayhaveoriginatedfrom
anendosymobioticancesterofmoderndayalphaproteobacteria.

www.wikigenes.org/e/gene/e/839529.html

Whatifthesamewastrueoftheproductionofstructuresandprocesses
supportingbiomagnetitebasedmagnetoreception.

Iftherewasanendosymobioticconnection,Iwouldsuggestthat
mitrochrondriamightplayarole.

Itmayalsobeofinteresttoknowthatarecentscientificpaperhasfound
evidenceofalphaproteobacteriainthebrain(acrosshumans,primates,and
nonprimates),sothatendosymbioticprocessmaystillbetakingplace.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23355888

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