How Migratory Birds Navigate and Planaria Regenerate: Potential Role of Quantum Mechanics

Ashutosh Tripathi; Parul Raghuvanshi; Vishvendra Singh Poonia

doi:10.1007/978-3-031-85167-4_12

How Migratory Birds Navigate and Planaria Regenerate: Potential Role of Quantum Mechanics

Ashutosh Tripathi
, Parul Raghuvanshi
, Vishvendra Singh Poonia

Materials Theory

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review

Abstract

The role of quantum-mechanical effects in biological processes has captivated researchers for decades. Emerging evidence suggests that weak magnetic fields can significantly impact biological systems, thereby offering a promising avenue for exploring these quantum phenomena. Here, we discuss a possible explanation for these events based on the radical pair process, which includes the quantum dynamics of nuclear and electron spins in transient radical molecules. Biological processes such as avian magnetoreceptionAvian magnetoreception and planaria regenerationPlanaria regeneration are analyzed in this chapter to examine the role of quantum effects in these scenarios. We discuss possible candidate molecules implicated in the weak magnetic field effectsWeak magnetic field effects and investigate how the radical pair mechanismRadical Pair Mechanism (RPM) acts as a unifying model for them. We also address the impact of CISS (Chirality-Induced Spin SelectivityChirality-Induced Spin Selectivity (CISS)) in these processes. We conclude that the radical pair mechanismRadical Pair Mechanism (RPM), along with CISSChirality-Induced Spin Selectivity (CISS), offers an explanation for weak magnetic field effectsWeak magnetic field effects in these biological processes.

Original language	English
Title of host publication	Progress in Theoretical Chemistry and Physics
Publisher	Springer Nature
Pages	257-280
Number of pages	24
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-85167-4_12
State	Published - 2025

Publication series

Name	Progress in Theoretical Chemistry and Physics
Volume	35
ISSN (Print)	1567-7354
ISSN (Electronic)	2215-0129

Funding

Acknowledgements This work is supported by the SERB, DST, India, with grant No. CRG/2021/007060, DST/INSPIRE/04/2018/000023. We also acknowledge access to the AWS-MeitY Quantum Computing Applications Lab (QCAL) and labs at IIT Roorkee, India. This work is supported by the SERB, DST, India, with grant No. CRG/2021/007060, DST/INSPIRE/04/2018/000023. We also acknowledge access to the AWS-MeitY Quantum Computing Applications Lab (QCAL) and labs at IIT Roorkee, India.

Keywords

Avian magnetoreception
Chirality-induced spin selectivity
Planaria regeneration
Radical pair mechanism
Reactive oxygen species
Weak magnetic field effects

Access to Document

10.1007/978-3-031-85167-4_12

Cite this

@inbook{d0e3795a98a7409d8fdf5ebcd370c368,

title = "How Migratory Birds Navigate and Planaria Regenerate: Potential Role of Quantum Mechanics",

abstract = "The role of quantum-mechanical effects in biological processes has captivated researchers for decades. Emerging evidence suggests that weak magnetic fields can significantly impact biological systems, thereby offering a promising avenue for exploring these quantum phenomena. Here, we discuss a possible explanation for these events based on the radical pair process, which includes the quantum dynamics of nuclear and electron spins in transient radical molecules. Biological processes such as avian magnetoreceptionAvian magnetoreception and planaria regenerationPlanaria regeneration are analyzed in this chapter to examine the role of quantum effects in these scenarios. We discuss possible candidate molecules implicated in the weak magnetic field effectsWeak magnetic field effects and investigate how the radical pair mechanismRadical Pair Mechanism (RPM) acts as a unifying model for them. We also address the impact of CISS (Chirality-Induced Spin SelectivityChirality-Induced Spin Selectivity (CISS)) in these processes. We conclude that the radical pair mechanismRadical Pair Mechanism (RPM), along with CISSChirality-Induced Spin Selectivity (CISS), offers an explanation for weak magnetic field effectsWeak magnetic field effects in these biological processes.",

keywords = "Avian magnetoreception, Chirality-induced spin selectivity, Planaria regeneration, Radical pair mechanism, Reactive oxygen species, Weak magnetic field effects",

author = "Ashutosh Tripathi and Parul Raghuvanshi and Poonia, \{Vishvendra Singh\}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.",

year = "2025",

doi = "10.1007/978-3-031-85167-4\_12",

language = "English",

series = "Progress in Theoretical Chemistry and Physics",

publisher = "Springer Nature",

pages = "257--280",

booktitle = "Progress in Theoretical Chemistry and Physics",

}

How Migratory Birds Navigate and Planaria Regenerate: Potential Role of Quantum Mechanics. / Tripathi, Ashutosh; Raghuvanshi, Parul; Poonia, Vishvendra Singh.
Progress in Theoretical Chemistry and Physics. Springer Nature, 2025. p. 257-280 (Progress in Theoretical Chemistry and Physics; Vol. 35).

Research output: Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding › Chapter › peer-review

TY - CHAP

T1 - How Migratory Birds Navigate and Planaria Regenerate

T2 - Potential Role of Quantum Mechanics

AU - Tripathi, Ashutosh

AU - Raghuvanshi, Parul

AU - Poonia, Vishvendra Singh

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025.

PY - 2025

Y1 - 2025

N2 - The role of quantum-mechanical effects in biological processes has captivated researchers for decades. Emerging evidence suggests that weak magnetic fields can significantly impact biological systems, thereby offering a promising avenue for exploring these quantum phenomena. Here, we discuss a possible explanation for these events based on the radical pair process, which includes the quantum dynamics of nuclear and electron spins in transient radical molecules. Biological processes such as avian magnetoreceptionAvian magnetoreception and planaria regenerationPlanaria regeneration are analyzed in this chapter to examine the role of quantum effects in these scenarios. We discuss possible candidate molecules implicated in the weak magnetic field effectsWeak magnetic field effects and investigate how the radical pair mechanismRadical Pair Mechanism (RPM) acts as a unifying model for them. We also address the impact of CISS (Chirality-Induced Spin SelectivityChirality-Induced Spin Selectivity (CISS)) in these processes. We conclude that the radical pair mechanismRadical Pair Mechanism (RPM), along with CISSChirality-Induced Spin Selectivity (CISS), offers an explanation for weak magnetic field effectsWeak magnetic field effects in these biological processes.

AB - The role of quantum-mechanical effects in biological processes has captivated researchers for decades. Emerging evidence suggests that weak magnetic fields can significantly impact biological systems, thereby offering a promising avenue for exploring these quantum phenomena. Here, we discuss a possible explanation for these events based on the radical pair process, which includes the quantum dynamics of nuclear and electron spins in transient radical molecules. Biological processes such as avian magnetoreceptionAvian magnetoreception and planaria regenerationPlanaria regeneration are analyzed in this chapter to examine the role of quantum effects in these scenarios. We discuss possible candidate molecules implicated in the weak magnetic field effectsWeak magnetic field effects and investigate how the radical pair mechanismRadical Pair Mechanism (RPM) acts as a unifying model for them. We also address the impact of CISS (Chirality-Induced Spin SelectivityChirality-Induced Spin Selectivity (CISS)) in these processes. We conclude that the radical pair mechanismRadical Pair Mechanism (RPM), along with CISSChirality-Induced Spin Selectivity (CISS), offers an explanation for weak magnetic field effectsWeak magnetic field effects in these biological processes.

KW - Avian magnetoreception

KW - Chirality-induced spin selectivity

KW - Planaria regeneration

KW - Radical pair mechanism

KW - Reactive oxygen species

KW - Weak magnetic field effects

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105014397953

U2 - 10.1007/978-3-031-85167-4_12

DO - 10.1007/978-3-031-85167-4_12

M3 - Chapter

AN - SCOPUS:105014397953

T3 - Progress in Theoretical Chemistry and Physics

SP - 257

EP - 280

BT - Progress in Theoretical Chemistry and Physics

PB - Springer Nature

ER -