cryptochrome

A hatchling loggerhead sea turtle that has never left its home beach swims in the right direction inside a tank where the only clue is an artificial magnetic field. Here is how animals read Earth's magnetic field, which explanations have the best evidence, and which parts of the story are still contested.

How do birds cross continents without GPS? Explore magnetic compasses, star maps, and quantum biology behind one of nature's greatest feats.