New research led by University of Leicester and University of Manchester scientists shows that a molecule present in all living cells called flavin adenine dinucleotide can, at high enough amounts, impart magnetic sensitivity on a biological system.
The ability of species to navigate considerable distances has long intrigued the biological community.
One of several environmental cues to support these migrations is the geomagnetic field.
Moreover, several other behaviors respond reliably to magnetic fields, at least under laboratory conditions, showing that the ability to sense and react to magnetic fields is not limited to migrating animals.
However, the identity of the primary magnetoreceptors, the mechanisms that underlies their reported light dependence and how the magnetic signal is transduced remain unclear.
“How we sense the external world, from vision, hearing through to touch taste and smell, are well understood,” said Professor Richard Baines, a neuroscientist at the University of Manchester.
“But by contrast, which animals can sense and how they respond to a magnetic field remains unknown.”
“This study has made significant advances in understanding how animals sense and respond to external magnetic fields — a very active and disputed field.”
To do so, Professor Baines and colleagues exploited the fruit fly (Drosophila melanogaster) to manipulate gene expression to test out their ideas.
The fruit fly, although very different on the outside, contains a nervous system that works exactly the same way as ours and has been used in countless studies as a model to understand human biology.
“And that is because a magnetic field carries very little energy, unlike photons of light or sound waves used by the other senses which, by comparison, pack a big punch,” said Dr. Adam Bradlaugh, also from the University of Manchester.
To get around this, nature has exploited quantum physics and cryptochrome, a light-sensitive protein found in animals…
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