magnetoreception: optimal design of receptor molecules, cells, and neuronal processing

The sensory basis ofmagnetoreception in animals still remains amystery. One hypothesis ofmagnetoreception is that photochemical radical pair reactions can transducemagnetic information in specialized photoreceptor cells, possibly involving the photoreceptor molecule cryptochrome. This hypothesis triggered a considerable amount of research in the past decade. Here, we present an updated picture of the radical-pair photoreceptor hypothesis. In our review, we will focus on insights that can assist biologists in their search for the elusive magnetoreceptors.