Bird's-Eye View May Include Magnetic Fields 86
BoredStiff writes "Heard on NPR and reported in ScienceDaily: a study finding that migratory birds may be able to 'see' magnetic fields. The report comes from a current study by a research group from Oldenburg, Germany. They found that migratory birds use their visual system to perceive the reference compass direction of the geomagnetic field: 'Sensory systems process their particular stimuli along specific brain circuits. Thus, the identification of what sensory system is active during magnetic compass orientation, provides a way to recognize the sensory quality utilized during that specific behavior.'"
If you want to know what it feels like (Score:3, Interesting)
Hardware hack that lets you sense your surroundings.
So what happens if the magnetic field changes? (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Does this mean birds aren't doomed after all? (Score:2, Interesting)
This is quite unlikely, given that there are no such things as magnetic field lines.