Numerous studies in recent years have confirmed the profound laws of physics behind the phenomenon of bird migration. A recently disclosed letter from Albert Einstein to a friend shows that Einstein had already suggested a deep connection between biology and physics more than 70 years ago.
A study published May 10 in The Journal of Comparative Physiology A and led by RMIT University in Australia demonstrates that Einstein had an important vision not only for physics but also for contemporary biological research.
It is a letter Einstein wrote in 1949 to radar researcher Glyn Davys, which his widow, Judith Davys, has only recently released. In the letter, Einstein raises the topic of this discussion – bees, birds, and the question of whether there is some kind of physics behind the perception mechanisms of various animals.
Adrian Dyer, the lead author of the study and an associate professor at Melbourne Institute of Technology, said the letter proves that Einstein had long foreseen that new physics discoveries could be made by studying animals. Dyer has published many studies on bees.
The letter also reveals that Einstein and Nobel laureate Karl von Frisch, an Austrian animal behaviorist, had a meeting. Karl von Frisch was then a researcher at the forefront of the field of bees and animal senses.
In April 1949, von Frisch presented his research suggesting that polarized light scattered by the sky helps bees navigate more effectively. Einstein attended his lecture, and the following day, he and von Frisch met once. No paper trail was left of this meeting, but the content of their conversation can be surmised from this newly released letter.
In the letter, Einstein wrote: “It is reasonable to suppose that by studying the behavior of migrating birds and carrier pigeons, one day some physical phenomena will eventually be discovered that are not now known.”
Today, more than seventy years after that, numerous studies have revealed that birds rely on some kind of magnetic induction for navigation. But there is no definitive theory as to where this magnetic induction originates. One theory suggests that this magnetic induction comes from the quantum entanglement effect. This physical concept was also first proposed by Albert Einstein.
This letter proves that Einstein was always open to any novelty observed in nature and demonstrates that he was also interested in the bee research conducted by von Frisch outside of physics.
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