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Cows got compasses?!? | by jdelphiki | 2008-08-26 05:37:17 |
| Actually... |
by Khaar |
2008-08-26 06:02:29 |
As I recall (I forgot the source), many animals, even humans, have a built-in compass of a kind. It's a tiny crystal of biologically deposited magnetite.
I'm guessing that this crystal doesn't actually rotate to the north with a small organic camera recording its orientation (likely, isn't it?) but that the "sensor" works more along the lines of sensing "pull" and tremors as the magnetite tries to align itself to the magnetic poles. When I was a kid, I can remember a slight itching just above the nose (where it turns out that this magnetite thing is located in humans) that from which I could orient towards north. Comparing to the compass, I was never off by more than a few degrees. I've lost that sense a *long* time ago.
Google for magnetoception for more information. |
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