The magnetic compass that birds use for orientation is affected by polarised light. This previously unknown phenomenon was discovered by researchers at Lund University in Sweden.

Birds have a light-dependent compass in their eyes. This compass gives them information about the direction of the Earth's magnetic field. Researchers have now elucidated how this compass works at ...

The magnetic compass that birds use for orientation is affected by polarized light. This previously unknown phenomenon was discovered by researchers at Lund University in Sweden.

Reppert's lab found that the magnetic compass was ultraviolet light-sensitive and an essential orientation mechanism to aid migration when directional daylight cues are unavailable. "It adds ...

A compass made of light promises to be more sensitive than anything in a Boy Scout’s wildest dreams. A light beam shot through a blob of rubidium atoms can directly and reliably measure the size ...

Study published in Nature Communications finds inclination compass in monarchs responds to UVA light Each fall millions of monarch butterflies use a sophisticated navigation system to transverse 2,000 ...

Some birds can sense the Earth’s magnetic field and orientate themselves with the ease of a compass needle. This ability is a massive boon for migrating birds, keeping frequent flyers on the ...

Imagine crossing vast oceans, soaring across continents, or tunneling deep beneath the earth—without ever getting lost. For some animals, this isn’t just a fantasy, but a daily reality. They possess ...

Birds Use Light, Not Magnetic Field, to Migrate A cell in the eye may be worth two in the beak, at least when it comes to a migratory bird’s magnetic compass.

As the compass has moved elsewhere around the earth, the atoms change their alignment to reflect the changing magnetic field, changing the amount and angle of the light as it passes through.

Given that the birds’ magnetic compass is light-dependent, a prediction of Schulten’s hypothesis is that their eyes play a part in the magnetic sensory system.

Birds’ eyes, not beaks, sense magnetic fields New study pinpoints migratory songbirds’ magnetic compass in a specific brain region ...