Related papers: Magnetic Noise Enabled Biocompass
This is an analysis of how magnetic fields affect biological molecules and cells. It was prompted by a series of prominent reports regarding magnetism in biological systems. The first claims to have identified a protein complex that acts…
The radical pair mechanism is a leading hypothesis in animal magnetic navigation. This mechanism associates the magnetic sense with the visual system, the radical pairs in cryptochromes of the eye retina being specialized magnetic receptors…
In spite of many years of research, the mechanism of avian magnetoreception remains a mystery due to its seemingly insurmountable intricacies. Recently Xie and colleagues proposed that IscA1 can act as a protein biocompass due to the…
Extremely-low-frequency magnetic fields are known to affect biological systems. In many cases, biological effects display `windows' in biologically effective parameters of the magnetic fields: most dramatic is the fact that relatively…
Birds have a remarkable ability to obtain navigational information from the Earth's magnetic field. The primary detection mechanism of this compass sense is uncertain but appears to involve the quantum spin dynamics of radical pairs formed…
It is a well established notion that animals can detect the Earth's magnetic field, while the biophysical origin of such magnetoreception is still elusive. Recently, a magnetic receptor Drosophila CG8198 (MagR) with a rod-like protein…
Magnetotactic bacteria (MTB) are endowed with an exquisite orientation mechanism allowing them to swim along the geomagnetic field lines. This mechanism consists of a chain of bio-synthesized magnetic nano-crystals that endow MTB with a…
The non-invasive spatiotemporal control of cellular functions, organization of tissues, and even the behavior of small animals has become paramount for advanced therapies. As magnetic fields do not interact with biological matter, their…
There is a long-time quest for understanding physical mechanisms of weak magnetic field interaction with biological matter. Two factors impeded the development of such mechanisms: first, a high (room) temperature of a cellular environment,…
Creatures as varied as mammals, fish, insects, reptiles, and migratory birds have an intriguing `sixth' sense that allows them to distinguish north from south by using the Earth's intrinsic magnetic field. Yet despite decades of study, the…
The rotations of microscopic magnetic particles, magnetosomes, embedded into the cytoskeleton are considered. A great number of magnetosomes are shown to possess two stable equilibrium positions, between which there occur transitions under…
Biological molecular machines are enzymes that simultaneously catalyze two processes, one donating free energy and second accepting it. Recent studies show that most native protein enzymes have a rich stochastic dynamics that often…
Magnetic nanoparticles (MNPs) form the foundation of many technologies, frequently serving to purify proteins or cells from a biological sample or to remove environmental contaminants. Their success relies on their magnetic response, which…
The magnetic sensing mechanism proposed to exist in avian eyes functions as a compass that detects the geomagnetic inclination aiding their migration. This mechanism is modeled by a quantum spin model known as the radical pair (RP) model.…
How migratory birds can find the right way in navigating over thousand miles is an intriguing question, which much interested researchers in both fields of biology and physics for centuries. There several putative proposals that sound…
The biological effects of electromagnetic fields on proteins remain controversial beyond well-established thermal mechanisms, particularly with respect to frequency-dependent responses. Here, we propose that electromagnetic waves can…
We review the status of protein-based molecular electronics. First we discuss fundamental concepts of electron transfer and transport in and across proteins and proposed mechanisms for these processes. We then describe the immobilization of…
Quantum sensing enables the ultimate precision attainable in parameter estimation. Circumstantial evidence suggests that certain organisms, most notably migratory songbirds, also harness quantum-enhanced magnetic field sensing via a…
We present the quantum limits to the magnetic sensitivity of a new kind of magnetometer based on biochemical reactions. Radical-ion-pair reactions, the biochemical system underlying the chemical compass, are shown to offer a new and unique…
A large and growing body of research shows that weak magnetic fields can significantly influence various biological systems, including plants, animals, and humans. However, the underlying mechanisms behind these phenomena remain elusive. It…