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Special Molecule Gives Birds a Magnetic Biocompass
Aaron Rowe writes "CORDIS news reports that a team of scientists has identified a family of molecules called cryptochromes that allow migratory birds to sense magnetic fields. Curiously enough, these molecules only function when accompanied by blue light. The article also mentions, 'The researchers also suggest that, as cryptochromes have been strongly conserved throughout evolution, all biological organisms could have the ability to detect magnetic fields, even if they do not use them.'"
This is interesting in the sense that these are very low frequency (~0Hz) fields which transfer much less power to the molecule which interacts with it than say visible light which operates at a much higher frequency and is comprised of a coupled electric and magnetic field. Of course the latter has been known to be sensed by sighted animals for quite some time. One way to view this is as an extension of the mechanism of vision- a photon causes a fast (actually one of the fastest reactions known) trans->cis conformational shift in retinol which drives a voltage down the optic nerve... the mechanism described in the FTA is the next step: once a radical is formed, it responds in a magnetic field. Apparently this response is also sensed. Interesting finding!
Doesn't it make you feel good to know that our freedoms are protected by politicans, lawyers and journalists.
This guy is able to tell you north, south, east, and west in mountain canyons, or even in buildings. He is not able to give degrees, but he can point in roughly 30-45 degree increments. Pretty impressive. Over the years, I have been impressed with some capabilities. One guy that I knew had 6/20 vision. He had doctors everywhere wanting to study his eyes. But he wanted to be a pilot so told them to take a hike.
I prefer the "u" in honour as it seems to be missing these days.
Well despite what movies like The Core will make you believe, its not like this is their only way to tell where they are going. I believe they primarily rely on sight and memory, they are not just flying around there with their eyes closed.
Of course there is only one way to find out for sure. Tie big magnets to the bird's heads and see if they can still find their way South. If not, we know it plays a big role in their navigation. Either that or it weighed them down so much they couldn't fly.
Mathematics is made of 50 percent formulas, 50 percent proofs, and 50 percent imagination.
All the things you've said are really pretty easy to do by consciously or unsconsciously updating your bearings by observation. Most human-made buildings are highly regular, even when designed to be confusing. Many times there are subtle clues that you don't pick up on that he probably does, such as the distant hum of a generator or type of vibration in the floor or the grain of the carpet.
These feats are nothing special really. Everybody has them to some degree, whether it is direction, or time, or reading expressions, or perfect pitch, or anything else. For instance I can set a 20 min pizza timer and go play a video game, pause it, and walk out with <5 seconds left on the timer. This happens very often. Do I have some magic genes that give me some digital internal chronometer? Doubtful, more likely I just have it in the back of my mind all the time.
When he gets off the plane at DIA, his first question is which way to north.
Um, if he actually could sense the magnetic field, he could tell which way was north and which was south. Thank God we dont have to tell magnets which say is 'North' to get them to work.
Your hair look like poop, Bob! - Wanker.
I'm pretty sure guys have a stronger sense of it then girls. Makes sense... hunting and all.
And the female job of gathering fruit, vegetables, and herbs from remote areas of the forest or savanah or whatever doesn't require a sense of direction.
Ok, anyone who refers a movie as horrible as "The Core" for physics demonstrations deserves to be shot.
I mean, come on, unobtainium???
You jokingly stress an important point there: might this molecule be related to the orientation sense some people seem to have more developed than others?
Any brief event that requires fifteen million years to exert an extinction is probably not the cause of said extinction. In fact, it's not even a coincidence as a coincidence requires concurrence in time.