The Mechanisms of Sensitivity to Magnetic Fields

The ability of many organisms to detect the Earth's magnetic field has been a mystery since its discovery. Previous theories thought that it could be to do with the presence of magnetite, a magnetic mineral in some organism's brain. University of Manchester study suggests something called cryptochrome is at the heart of this process. Cryptochrome is a protein found in animals' eyes, including our own. It's sensitive to blue light and may also be responsible for some organism's magneto-reception. If you get rid of majority of cryptochrome, but have sensitivity to magnetic fields through it, then car will still start.