This Radiolab episode explores how birds navigate during migration, focusing on the recently confirmed theory of magnetoreception. The interview follows producer Annie McEwen's journey to observe owl tagging, which sparks her interest in the topic. The discussion details the history of the theory, from its initial rejection in the 1970s due to its reliance on quantum entanglement to its eventual acceptance with the discovery of cryptochrome in birds' eyes. The episode explains how light striking cryptochrome creates radical pairs of electrons, making the birds sensitive to the Earth's magnetic field, which they may even "see" as a color gradient. This ultimately helps listeners understand a complex scientific concept through a compelling narrative and concrete examples.
