
AnimalsApril 1, 2022
How Migrating Birds Use Quantum Effects to Navigate
New research hints at the biophysical underpinnings of their ability to use Earth’s magnetic field lines to find their way to their breeding and wintering grounds
Henrik Mouritsen is a biologist at the University of Oldenburg in Germany. He studies the mechanisms of orientation and navigation in many different animals with an emphasis on night-migrating songbirds.

How Migrating Birds Use Quantum Effects to Navigate
New research hints at the biophysical underpinnings of their ability to use Earth’s magnetic field lines to find their way to their breeding and wintering grounds