{"id":17125,"date":"2021-07-28T21:26:34","date_gmt":"2021-07-28T21:26:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/uncategorized\/2021\/07\/28\/military-funded-research-looks-for-the-secret-gps-free-navigation-in-a-birds-eye\/"},"modified":"2026-08-08T02:34:35","modified_gmt":"2026-08-08T02:34:35","slug":"military-funded-research-looks-for-the-secret-gps-free-navigation-in-a-birds-eye","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/c4isrnet\/battlefield-tech\/2021\/07\/28\/military-funded-research-looks-for-the-secret-gps-free-navigation-in-a-birds-eye\/","title":{"rendered":"Military-funded research looks for the secret to GPS-free navigation in a bird\u2019s eye"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Military-funded scientists have isolated a protein present in the eye of a migratory bird that may <a href=\"https:\/\/www.militarytimes.com\/video\/2021\/07\/12\/in-the-future-your-uniform-will-track-you-military-times-reports\/\" target=\"_blank\">explain <\/a>how our feathered friends travel vast distances without a map \u2014 and how future soldiers might use that ability to fight without GPS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The research is in an early stage and it is not likely to be in the hands of soldiers in the next few years. But it could ultimately lead to direct applications or unforeseen opportunities in other areas of research and military development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.armytimes.com\/news\/your-army\/2021\/06\/17\/your-uniform-could-soon-track-your-bodys-signals-and-tell-you-if-youre-sick\/\" target=\"_blank\">Researchers<\/a> have hypothesized for decades about how birds, fish, sea turtles and insects may be using the Earth\u2019s magnetic field to navigate on long-range patterns across the globe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Combined funding from the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.arl.army.mil\/\" target=\"_blank\">Army Research Laboratory<\/a>, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.onr.navy.mil\/\" target=\"_blank\">Office of Naval Research Global<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.afrl.af.mil\/AFOSR\/\" target=\"_blank\">Air Force Office of Scientific Research<\/a> to support isolating exactly what makes that happen recently resulted in a published paper in the scientific journal <a href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41586-021-03618-9\" target=\"_blank\">Nature <\/a>by researchers at the universities of Oxford, England, and Oldenburg, Germany, according to an Army <a href=\"https:\/\/www.army.mil\/article\/248735\/birds_eye_view_could_be_key_to_navigating_without_gps\" target=\"_blank\">release<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">By analyzing the migratory European robin, researchers isolated a protein in the bird\u2019s eye and then tested it to learn that the protein can help a bird detect the Earth\u2019s magnetic field and navigate their migration, according to the release.<\/p>\n\n\n\t<aside class=\"smg-interstitial-link wp-block-smg-interstitial-link\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/armytimes\/news\/your-army\/2021\/07\/26\/nanotech-built-armor-could-replace-kevlar-steel-for-soldier-protection\/\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__inner\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__media\">\n\t\t\t\t\t<img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"300\" height=\"200\" src=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/3.jpg_58f5ec.jpg?w=300\" class=\"smg-interstitial-link__image wp-post-image\" alt=\"\" \/>\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t<div class=\"smg-interstitial-link__content\">\n\t\t\t\t<span class=\"smg-interstitial-link__kicker\">Related<\/span>\n\t\t\t\t<h3 class=\"smg-interstitial-link__title\">Nanotech-built armor could replace Kevlar, steel for soldier protection<\/h3>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<p class=\"smg-interstitial-link__excerpt\">A polymer patterned in a \u201clattice-like\u201d structure using nanotechnologies could withstand more force than Kevlar or steel.<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t<\/a>\n\t<\/aside>\n\t\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Army Times spoke with Dr. Stephanie McElhinny, program manager for the biochemistry program at the Army Research Laboratory, about the discovery and its impact.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">One of the key goals, and challenges, for biochemistry research in a military context, is getting biological materials \u2014 in this case, proteins \u2014 out of living bodies that are fragile and into more robust systems. Or at least, researchers need to get the characteristics of those materials in the hands of soldiers looking for future combat advantages.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"5760\" height=\"3840\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/birds-eye2.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-52928\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/birds-eye2.jpg.jpg 5760w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/birds-eye2.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/birds-eye2.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/birds-eye2.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,683 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/birds-eye2.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/birds-eye2.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 5760px) 100vw, 5760px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">A soldier assigned to the 2nd Cavalry Regiment prepares to hand launch the AeroVironment RQ-11 Raven unmanned aerial vehicle, to scout out the opposing force during Dragoon Ready 21 at the Hohenfels Training Area, April 15, 2021. (Spc. Zachary Bouvier\/Army)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cProteins have really cool functions, but they\u2019d be even cooler if we could put them in a system for the Army where they don\u2019t need to be kept wet,\u201d McElhinny said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">McElhinny explained that scientists had a hypothesis that this protein \u2014 cryptochrome \u2014 played a role in magnetic sensing. Cryptochrome isn\u2019t unique to birds. Humans have the same protein and it helps regulate our circadian rhythms, or the natural sunlight\/darkness patterns of the Earth\u2019s rotation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The rhythms are a biological clock for humans and cryptochrome helps keep that clock in sync with the light cycles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">While researchers studied the robin, they didn\u2019t have to pull out proteins from its eyes or anything as ghastly, McElhinny said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To test the cryptochrome protein, they were able to synthesize the DNA encoding the protein, grow it inside of a bacteria as a host, then harvest it, like cracking a nut\u2019s shell to get the meat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"3148\" height=\"2098\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/migratory-european-robin.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-52933\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/migratory-european-robin.jpg.jpg 3148w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/migratory-european-robin.jpg.jpg?resize=300,200 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/migratory-european-robin.jpg.jpg?resize=768,512 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/migratory-european-robin.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,682 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/migratory-european-robin.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,1024 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/migratory-european-robin.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1365 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 3148px) 100vw, 3148px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Researchers on a combined Army-Air Force-Navy project discovered a protein in the migratory European robin&#8217;s eye that could be the key to navigating Earth&#8217;s magnetic fields without using GPS. (Army)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">They then looked at the protein\u2019s building blocks, which are chains of amino acids. Within that chain are four tryptophan amino acids in a row.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Scientists theorized that the row of tryptophans allowed for electrons to \u201chop\u201d from one to the next, generating so-called radical pairs that are magnetically sensitive. This gives the bird\u2019s brain a type of pattern to follow, syncing it, in a sense, with the magnetic field in the environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">To test this, they synthesized versions of cryptochrome in which each of the four tryptophans were disrupted independently to see if the chain would still allow for the hopping.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">It didn\u2019t.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">That meant that the four-tryptophan chain was key in allowing for the \u201chopping\u201d that they think links the bird\u2019s eye and brain to the invisible magnetic fields all around it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">For further verification, the researchers tried the same isolation of cryptochrome proteins from chickens and pigeons, non-migratory birds. It didn\u2019t work. That led researchers to another hypothesis \u2014 this function of the cryptochrome protein is unique to migratory animals, or at least migratory birds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"4032\" height=\"2268\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/bird-equipment.jpg.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-52937\" srcset=\"https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/bird-equipment.jpg.jpg 4032w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/bird-equipment.jpg.jpg?resize=300,169 300w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/bird-equipment.jpg.jpg?resize=768,432 768w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/bird-equipment.jpg.jpg?resize=1024,576 1024w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/bird-equipment.jpg.jpg?resize=1536,864 1536w, https:\/\/one.sightlinemg.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/bird-equipment.jpg.jpg?resize=2048,1152 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 4032px) 100vw, 4032px\" \/><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Army-Navy-Air Force funded research required new ways of measuring how proteins in a bird&#8217;s eye worked. In some cases, the team had to develop their own methods and equipment setup. (Army)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cWe think these results are very important because they show for the first time that a molecule from the visual apparatus of a migratory bird is sensitive to magnetic fields,\u201d said Professor Henrik Mouritsen with the Institute of Biology and Environmental Sciences at Oldenburg University.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Yet despite the successes and discoveries, Mouritsen cautioned that this might not be the definitive answer to bird navigation. That\u2019s because the work was done in a laboratory, not in nature. And the magnetic fields tested were much stronger than those found in the outdoors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIt therefore still needs to be shown that this is happening in the eyes of birds,\u201d Mouritsen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">The work being done at this level is called \u201cbasic research.\u201d Essentially, it\u2019s posing fundamental questions in a lab setting that could be matured or advanced to more out-of-the lab applications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">\u201cIf we can prove that cryptochrome 4 is the magnetic sensor we will have demonstrated a fundamentally quantum mechanism that makes animals sensitive to environmental stimuli a million times weaker than previously thought possible,\u201d said Peter Hore professor of Chemistry at the University of Oxford.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Researchers can synthesize DNA that could be used for future navigation applications.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":52923,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-noindex":"","_yoast_wpseo_meta-robots-nofollow":"","_yoast_wpseo_canonical":"","_acf":"","_yoast_wpseo_primary_category":7,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","_smg_distribution_targets":[]},"categories":[7,106,29,32],"tags":[],"coauthors":[3318],"class_list":["post-17125","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-battlefield-tech","category-daily-brief","category-home","category-newsletters"],"acf":{"subheadline":"","legacy_arc_id":"JLKP4Q3YEBA43ORT5ZD24XDRHQ","arc_canonical_url":"\/news\/your-army\/2021\/07\/28\/military-funded-research-looks-for-the-secret-gps-free-navigation-in-a-birds-eye\/","remove_feature_photo":false,"is_sponsored":false,"subtype":"","redirect_url":"","disable_inline_ads":false,"native_logo_pretext":"Presented By:"},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO Premium plugin v26.0 (Yoast SEO v28.1) - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-premium-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Military-funded research looks for the secret to GPS-free navigation in a bird\u2019s eye - C4ISRNet<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Researchers can synthesize DNA that could be used for future navigation applications.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"noindex, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Military-funded research looks for the secret to GPS-free navigation in a bird\u2019s eye\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Researchers can synthesize DNA that could be used for future navigation applications.\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" 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