AI Summary

A collaborative team led by Yasuhiro Kobori at Kobe University, with partners from Toho University, Saitama University, Nagoya Institute of Technology and the University of Freiburg, has pinpointed a possible molecular mechanism that could boost magnetic compass activity in cryptochrome, a blue‑light‑sensitive protein linked to magnetoreception. Using time‑resolved electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopy, the researchers observed structural rearrangements in light‑induced intermediates and detected effects of chirality‑induced spin selectivity. Their analysis indicates that the chiral rotational motion of a tryptophan residue can modulate electron‑spin polarization, thereby strengthening the directional dependence of subsequent chemical reactions.

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