Scientists in Germany have found a surprising solution to one of biology’s big mysteries — how birds and other animals sense Earth’s magnetic field to help them navigate accurately for thousands of miles.
The team from Germany’s University of Bonn and Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour discovered that pigeons have iron-rich immune cells in their liver, which detect geomagnetism. The study was published on Thursday in the journal Science.
Decades of experiments have shown that many migratory and homing species rely on an internal magnetic compass for guidance, as well as using the sun, stars, visual landmarks and even smells.
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