Mechanisms of Hypomagnetic Field Biological Effects: Quantum Rotator Versus Radical Pair

Vladimir Binhi, Igor Usovik, Ivan Koshel · 2026

Read Mechanisms of Hypomagnetic Field Biological Effects: Quantum Rotator Versus Radical Pair by Vladimir Binhi, Igor Usovik, Ivan Koshel (2026) in the Tower of Babel, a free online library of public-domain works preserved in clean, searchable text. No sign-up. The full text is served as a plain-text file at a predictable URL, where text is present: https://antarctic-labs.com/tower-of-babel/pmc-13665004.txt.

Description

Binhi, Usovik, and Koshel propose a new way to explain how very weak magnetic fields affect living tissue. The standard radical pair idea struggles here, since spin states fade too fast to drive the observed effects. Their model uses a tiny molecular rotator, smaller than half a nanometer, standing in for part of an enzyme. They track its motion with a quantum equation that also allows for loss of coherence.

In the model, field effects come from shifts in the rotator's interference pattern, not from blocked spin states. Effects of tens of percent appear in fields below 50 microtesla. Heat both weakens coherence and helps form the field-sensitive pattern. The authors note the idea still lacks direct tests in the lab.

Catalog record

CREATORVladimir Binhi, Igor Usovik, Ivan Koshel
YEAR2026
COLLECTIONPAPERS
FORMATTXT
FILE SIZE72 KB
VERSION1.0
LICENSECC BY 4.0
RIGHTSCC BY
SOURCEEurope PMC

Source: https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC13665004

Browse the full library · About the Tower of Babel