Information Related to "Bird Brains: Brighter Than We Thought"
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Scientists from Baylor College of Medicine have discovered a unique mechanism that allows pigeons to navigate using the earth's magnetic field.
They have located cells in the pigeon's brain that record information regarding the field.
The researchers theorize that the birds navigate with several steps, detecting the magnetic field likely, though not conclusively, via the inner ear, then storing and comparing the data to information in the hippocampus, the memory storehouse of the brain.
Past research has pursued various avenues in trying to explain bird navigation, but this research is the first to locate the cells that process some of the information (James Gorman, "Study Sheds Light on How Birds Navigate by Magnetic Field," NYTimes.com, April 26, 2012).
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Keywords: birds' brains pigeons bird navigation instinct navigation
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