ReviewJournal of the Royal Society, Interface2022
Magnetic field effects in biology from the perspective of the radical pair mechanism.
Review in Journal of the Royal Society, Interface, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 82 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
82 citing papers in PubMed, 176 citations in OpenAlex.
- Piezo channels in physical field therapy: From mechanotransduction mechanisms to bioelectromagnetic modulation and biomedical applications.Mechanobiology in medicine · 2026Review
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- Time-Varying Low-Frequency Electromagnetic Fields and Endothelial Angiogenesis: From Early In Vitro Discoveries to Emerging Mechanisms.Pathophysiology : the official journal of the International Society for Pathophysiology · 2026Review
- Magnetometry for Agriculture and Animal Systems: From Classical Sensors to Quantum-Enabled Biosensing.Biosensors · 2026Review
- Verification of quantum biological predictions for weak magnetic field effects on superoxide in planarians.PNAS nexus · 2026Article
- Development of an oscillating magnetic field-assisted supercooling system for bovine embryo preservation.Journal of animal science and technology · 2026Article
- Quantum biology: From mechanisms to medicine.Clinical and translational medicine · 2026Review
- Article
- What is quantum biology?Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America · 2026Article
- The Heart's Electromagnetic Field in Emotions, Empathy and Human Connection: Biosensor-Derived Insights into Heart-Brain Axis Mechanisms and a Basis for Novel BioMagnetoTherapies.Sensors (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Article
- A compound pulsed magnetic field achieves superior cognitive benefits against Alzheimer's disease progression via multi-level restoration of neural oscillations and cerebral perfusion.Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics · 2026Article
- Hypomagnetic Fields Influence the Developmental Duration, Fecundity and Temperature Stress Resistance ofBiology · 2026Article
- Tubulin polymerization dynamics are influenced by magnetic isotope effects consistent with the radical pair mechanism.Science advances · 2026Article
- Electromagnetic fields regulate iron metabolism: From mechanisms to applications.Journal of advanced research · 2026Review
- Interaction of pulsed low frequency electromagnetic field (PEMF) with mitochondria.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Spin Relaxation Does Not Preclude Magnetic Field Effects on Lipid Autoxidation.ACS central science · 2026Article
- Mitochondria as key targets underlying hypomagnetic field-induced biological effects.iScience · 2026Review
- Transcranial microtesla magnetic fields suppress neuroinflammation and neuronal oxidative stress burden.iScience · 2026Article
- Article
22 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Hundreds of studies have found that weak magnetic fields can significantly influence various biological systems. However, the underlying mechanisms behind these phenomena remain elusive. Remarkably, the magnetic energies implicated in these effects are much smaller than thermal energies. Here, we review these observations, and we suggest an explanation based on the radical pair mechanism, which involves the quantum dynamics of the electron and nuclear spins of transient radical molecules. While the radical pair mechanism has been studied in detail in the context of avian magnetoreception, the studies reviewed here show that magnetosensitivity is widespread throughout biology. We review magnetic field effects on various physiological functions, discussing static, hypomagnetic and oscillating magnetic fields, as well as isotope effects. We then review the radical pair mechanism as a potential unifying model for the described magnetic field effects, and we discuss plausible candidate molecules for the radical pairs. We review recent studies proposing that the radical pair mechanism provides explanations for isotope effects in xenon anaesthesia and lithium treatment of hyperactivity, magnetic field effects on the circadian clock, and hypomagnetic field effects on neurogenesis and microtubule assembly. We conclude by discussing future lines of investigation in this exciting new area of quantum biology.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.