The mystery behind how birds navigate might finally be solved: it's not the iron in their beaks providing a magnetic compass, but a protein in their eyes that lets them "see" Earth's magnetic fields.
These findings come courtesy of two papers - one studying robins, the other zebra finches.
The fancy eye protein is called Cry4, and it's part of a class of proteins called cryptochromes - photoreceptors sensitive to blue light, found in both plants and animals. These proteins play a role in regulating circadian rhythms.
(Score: 1) by danuk on Monday September 03 2018, @12:53PM
I read a great book which proposes there are Quantum effects in conjunction with the Cryptochrome within the eye of the birds to allow it to "see" magnetic fields. Also the birds cannot distinguish north from south only between "towards a pole" and "away from a pole".
Life on the edge by Jim Al-Khalili
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Life-Edge-Coming-Quantum-Biology/dp/0552778079/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1535978987&sr=8-1&keywords=life+on+the+edge [amazon.co.uk]