Pigeons may be navigating with their liver, study suggests
AP News • • science
Key Points:
- Scientists have discovered that pigeons may use specialized iron-rich immune cells in their livers to sense Earth’s magnetic field, aiding their navigation.
- When these liver immune cells were temporarily removed, pigeons struggled to find their way, especially on overcast days when they cannot rely on the sun for guidance.
- This new finding challenges previous theories that magnetic sensing in pigeons occurs primarily in the eyes, beak, or inner ear, and suggests a novel magnetic compass mechanism involving the liver.
- Researchers propose that similar magnetic sensing could exist in other animals, but further studies are needed to confirm how these signals are transmitted to the brain and to understand the full navigation system.
- Experts caution that pigeons might use multiple methods to navigate, combining magnetic sensing with other cues depending on environmental conditions and navigation tasks.