New Study Fuels Debate About Source of Birds’ Magnetic Sense
New Study Fuels Debate About Source of Birds’ Magnetic Sense
A detailed analysis of cryptochrome 4 shows that the protein is highly sensitive to magnetic fields in vitro, but some researchers dispute the authors’ assertion that the findings could help explain avian magnetoreception.
A detailed analysis of cryptochrome 4 shows that the protein is highly sensitive to magnetic fields in vitro, but some researchers dispute the authors’ assertion that the findings could help explain avian magnetoreception.
magnetic sense
Image of the Day: Eel Compass
Emily Makowski | Oct 14, 2019 | 1 min read
Glass eels form a magnetic memory of their estuaries’ currents in order to migrate.
Can Humans Sense Magnetic Fields?
Carolyn Wilke | Mar 19, 2019 | 5 min read
A study of people’s brainwaves hints at their unconscious ability to perceive the Earth’s magnetic field.
Worms’ Magnetic Sense Questioned
Abby Olena, PhD | Apr 25, 2018 | 5 min read
Unsuccessful attempts to reproduce the results of a 2015 study reporting that C. elegans orient themselves by Earth’s magnetic field spark debate among researchers.
Zebrafish and Medaka Can Sense Magnetic Fields
Shawna Williams | Mar 19, 2018 | 3 min read
Unlike in some animals, their sense of magnetoreception appears to be independent of blue light.
Mag-Neato!
The Scientist | Aug 31, 2016 | 1 min read
Scientists are unraveling how animals use Earth's magnetic field to navigate.
Biological Compass
Bob Grant | Nov 16, 2015 | 4 min read
A protein complex discovered in Drosophila may be capable of sensing magnetism and serves as a clue to how some animal species navigate using the Earth’s magnetic field.
Alleged Scoop Sours Magnetoreceptor Collaboration
Kerry Grens | Sep 21, 2015 | 2 min read
University administrators request a retraction upon learning that one researcher scooped another’s results despite having agreed not to.
Turtle Magnetism
Jenny Rood | Jan 19, 2015 | 1 min read
Loggerhead sea turtles use the Earth’s magnetic fields to find their way home.
Confused Bird Compasses
Rina Shaikh-Lesko | May 9, 2014 | 2 min read
Anthropogenic low-frequency electromagnetic signals can foul up migrating birds’ compasses, a study finds.
A Sense of Mystery
Dan Cossins | Aug 1, 2013 | 10+ min read
Researchers from various disciplines are homing in on the mechanics of magnetoreception, an enigmatic sense that some animals use to navigate the globe.
Source of Animal Magnetism Identified
Hayley Dunning | Jul 9, 2012 | 3 min read
Decades after science discovered that animals can navigate using the earth’s magnetic field, researchers isolate the first vertebrate cells containing magnetic iron.