Projektnummer

0050128

Zusammenfassung

Mechanisms enabling migratory birds to sense the Earth's magnetic field have remained unclear. Recently, it was suggested that birds detect the magnetic compass direction through modulation of radical- pair processes based on photoexcitation of light-sensitive molecules, the cryptochromes. Dr. Mouritsen's group has shown that cryptochromes are expressed at night in ganglion cells and displaced ganglion cells in the retina of night migratory birds but are absent in non-migrants. Furthermore, the group also showed that both the cryptochrome-contai- ning retinal ganglion cells as well as ...