Smithsonian magazine wrote:

Birds must be geniuses because they use quantum mechanics to navigate...... this sense relies on quantum mechanics—that is, birds detect something happening in the eye at a subatomic level. Light striking the retina seems to stimulate chemical reactions that produce pairs of molecules with electrons that are “entangled,” meaning they share certain quantum properties Read more: http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/How-Do-Birds-Find-Their-Way-Home.html#ixzz1uKmxe1JL

Quantum mechanics?? But how does a bird 'learn' about matter and energy at subatomic levels? Do birds understand the double slit experiment?

While we might be able to explain how birds 'see' the earths magnetic field... how do we explain this ability?

We can't explain it, but there are lots of other things we can't explain either. Much the same way as a Christian relies on faith.

Longloadr wrote:

While we might be able to explain how birds 'see' the earths magnetic field... how do we explain this ability?

Some sort of god programmed them of course

HeWasJustHere wrote:

We can't explain it yet, but there are lots of other things we can't explain either yet. Much the same way as a Christian relies on faith.

Sorry, forgive me, just had to add a couple of words to your post. But otherwise, yup!

@LL. When a bird flies into a plate glass window that's God "having a laugh" right?

There's a quantum mechanical explanation for smell, but it doesn't mean everyone has to be a Heisenberg or Schrodinger to smell things. A bird doesn't 'learn' these things any more than you learned QM in order to smell

http://m.phys.org/news/2011-03-quantum-explanation.html

Longloadr wrote:

Quantum mechanics?? But how does a bird 'learn' about matter and energy at subatomic levels? Do birds understand the double slit experiment? While we might be able to explain how birds 'see' the earths magnetic field... how do we explain this ability?

Actually, this is the way it is assumed birds "see" the earths magnetic field. Spins parallel to the magnetic field behave differently than anti-parallel spins. Their energy levels are different, therefore the coupled chemical reactions can behave different and therefor the electric signal cascades in the nerves are different. Resulting in "seeing" the earths magnetic field. Not much different than seeing the polarity of the sunlight.
It is known for quite some time that quantum entanglement plays some roles in different biological processes.
Heres another example:
Mohan Sarovar et al.: Quantum entanglement in photosynthetic light-harvesting complexes. Nature Physics (online: 25.4.2010)
dx.doi.org/10.1038/nphys1652
www.nature.com/nphys/journal/vaop/ncurrent/extref/nphys1652-s1.pdf
or
Elisabetta Collini et al.: Coherently wired light-harvesting in photosynthetic marine algae at ambient temperature. Nature 463, 644 (2010)
or
Akihito Ishizaki and Graham R. Fleming: Theoretical examination of quantum coherence in a photosynthetic system at physiological temperature. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 106, 17255 (2009)

We also don´t have to know how photoelectric excitations work in order to see. Actually all electron excitations have to do with quantum mechanics.
All living things uses it. What´s the big deal?

Sunny-Smile wrote:

Longloadr wrote: Quantum mechanics?? But how does a bird 'learn' about matter and energy at subatomic levels? Do birds understand the double slit experiment? While we might be able to explain how birds 'see' the earths magnetic field... how do we explain this ability? Actually, this is the way it is assumed birds "see" the earths magnetic field. Spins parallel to the magnetic field behave differently than anti-parallel spins. Their energy levels are different, therefore the coupled chemical reactions can behave different and therefor the electric signal cascades in the nerves are different. Resulting in "seeing" the earths magnetic field. Not much different than seeing the polarity of the sunlight. It is known for quite some time that quantum entanglement plays some roles in different biological processes. Heres another example: Mohan Sarovar et al.: Quantum entanglement in photosynthetic light-harvesting complexes. Nature Physics (online: 25.4.2010) dx.doi.org/10.1038/nphys1652 www.nature.com/nphys/journal/vaop/ncurrent/extref/nphys1652-s1.pdf or Elisabetta Collini et al.: Coherently wired light-harvesting in photosynthetic marine algae at ambient temperature. Nature 463, 644 (2010) or Akihito Ishizaki and Graham R. Fleming: Theoretical examination of quantum coherence in a photosynthetic system at physiological temperature. Proc. Natl Acad. Sci. USA 106, 17255 (2009) We also don´t have to know how photoelectric excitations work in order to see. Actually all electron excitations have to do with quantum mechanics. All living things uses it. What´s the big deal?

'' Thanks for the explanation... And the chuckle I got from 'no big deal'.
Your comment about quantum entanglement got me curious and I see that it has been known for awhile now that birds use quantum mechanics to navigate. (I think it is a big deal...in fact its "staggering"!)
Anyways...an article from 2009 is discussing European robins

Wired Science wrote:

(Robins)maintain quantum entanglement in their eyes a full 20 microseconds longer than the best laboratory systems...That really is an amazing thing....Even in laboratory systems, atoms are cooled to near–absolute-zero temperatures to maintain entanglement for more than a few thousandths of a second.

One of the researchers asks a great question....

quantum physicist Simon Benjamin wrote:

How can a living system have evolved to protect a quantum state as well—no, better—than we can do in the lab with these exotic molecules? (The article discusses a "sexy" designed molecule)....The bird, however it works, whatever it’s got in there, it’s somehow doing better than our specially designed, very beautiful molecule...That’s just staggering

http://www.wired.com/wiredscience/2011/01/quantum-birds/

We had only a few years to develop something to maintain quantum entanglements long enough. Nature had millions of years of refinement. How does a snowflake know how to form? It´s just natural laws and properties of matter.
It is staggering, yes. That´s why i have studied biology, but you shouldn´t read more into it than there is.

Sunny-Smile wrote:

We had only a few years to develop something to maintain quantum entanglements long enough. Nature had millions of years of refinement. How does a snowflake know how to form? It´s just natural laws and properties of matter. It is staggering, yes. That´s why i have studied biology, but you shouldn´t read more into it than there is.

And...perhaps you should read more into it. ha. We both have our assumptions.
And snowflakes don't 'know' how to form... Yes, I agree its natural laws. But that is where we differ...I assume there is a law giver. You assume laws come into existance by themselves.

Longloadr wrote:

Sunny-Smile wrote: We had only a few years to develop something to maintain quantum entanglements long enough. Nature had millions of years of refinement. How does a snowflake know how to form? It´s just natural laws and properties of matter. It is staggering, yes. That´s why i have studied biology, but you shouldn´t read more into it than there is. And...perhaps you should read more into it. ha. We both have our assumptions. And snowflakes don't 'know' how to form... Yes, I agree its natural laws. But that is where we differ...I assume there is a law giver. You assume laws come into existance by themselves.

Are you bring a god into the Science channel Longloader

Why can't you just be honest about your intentions in this forum....surely deep down you must feel hypocritical and dishonest when you post these threads here and you keep falling back on god as an answer for everything