One of the most persistent scientific mysteries over the past century has been exactly how some organisms seemingly have the ability to sense the Earth’s magnetic field. Despite several hypotheses, and a large volume of research, there is still no conclusive answer to this mystery of a magnetic sense.

A new article, published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, presents a novel hypothesis arguing this unexplained sense may be the result of a symbiotic relationship between animals, and a specific group of bacteria with the ability to orient itself along the Earth’s magnetic field lines.

Over the past few years a new hypothesis for magnetoreception has been raised, dubbed “the symbiotic magnetic-sensing hypothesis”. This idea posits magnetotactic bacteria as the underlying explanation behind some animals’ magnetic sense.

Magnetotactic bacteria are a particular group of bacteria known to align with magnetic fields using specialized intracellular organelles called magnetosomes. In the newly published article, Fitak and colleagues present the latest evidence to support the hypothesis that these magnetic-sensing bacteria play a role in how animals sense the surrounding geomagnetic field.

Fitak suggests the data reveals a number of types of magnetotactic bacteria can be detected in animal species suspected of having magnetoreceptive abilities. Atlantic right whales, loggerhead sea turtles and brown bats were all found to harbor distinct types of magnetic-field sensing bacteria.

Despite citing this new evidence, the study is very clear in stating this hypothesis is still deeply speculative. It is unknown exactly how the magnetotactic bacteria could be communicating with its host organism. Plus, it isn’t even known where in an animal the bacteria would need to reside to confer its magnetic-field sensing effects.

Fitak and his co-authors are confident recent advances in metagenomic techniques and DNA sequencing will pave the way for new investigations into these questions. So although it is very early days for the symbiotic magnetic-sensing hypothesis, the new article suggests it is a valid hypothesis worthy of more research.

https://newatlas.com/biology/bacteria-magnetic-field-sense-hypothesis-magnetotactic/

PermeateFree said:

One of the most persistent scientific mysteries over the past century has been exactly how some organisms seemingly have the ability to sense the Earth’s magnetic field. Despite several hypotheses, and a large volume of research, there is still no conclusive answer to this mystery of a magnetic sense.

A new article, published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, presents a novel hypothesis arguing this unexplained sense may be the result of a symbiotic relationship between animals, and a specific group of bacteria with the ability to orient itself along the Earth’s magnetic field lines.

Over the past few years a new hypothesis for magnetoreception has been raised, dubbed “the symbiotic magnetic-sensing hypothesis”. This idea posits magnetotactic bacteria as the underlying explanation behind some animals’ magnetic sense.

Magnetotactic bacteria are a particular group of bacteria known to align with magnetic fields using specialized intracellular organelles called magnetosomes. In the newly published article, Fitak and colleagues present the latest evidence to support the hypothesis that these magnetic-sensing bacteria play a role in how animals sense the surrounding geomagnetic field.

Fitak suggests the data reveals a number of types of magnetotactic bacteria can be detected in animal species suspected of having magnetoreceptive abilities. Atlantic right whales, loggerhead sea turtles and brown bats were all found to harbor distinct types of magnetic-field sensing bacteria.

Despite citing this new evidence, the study is very clear in stating this hypothesis is still deeply speculative. It is unknown exactly how the magnetotactic bacteria could be communicating with its host organism. Plus, it isn’t even known where in an animal the bacteria would need to reside to confer its magnetic-field sensing effects.

Fitak and his co-authors are confident recent advances in metagenomic techniques and DNA sequencing will pave the way for new investigations into these questions. So although it is very early days for the symbiotic magnetic-sensing hypothesis, the new article suggests it is a valid hypothesis worthy of more research.

https://newatlas.com/biology/bacteria-magnetic-field-sense-hypothesis-magnetotactic/

> One of the most persistent scientific mysteries over the past century has been exactly how some organisms seemingly have the ability to sense the Earth’s magnetic field. Despite several hypotheses, and a large volume of research, there is still no conclusive answer to this mystery of a magnetic sense.

Lately, I’ve been wondering if they actually do. The original experiments on the use of magnetic fields by homing pigeons were not done double blind, or with anywhere near as much rigour as experiments require these days.

The presence of magnetite granules inside the brain as a measure of whether animals use magnetic fields for navigation has been debunked, according to the book Supersense, quite simply because a huge number of animal species have these granules and only a few of them actually use magnetic fields for navigation.

The experiment on the use of magnetic fields by homing pigeons needs redoing, with stricter control to eliminate the more easy navigation methods of following roads, following topography, use of the Sun, polarisation of the reflection of light off water, use of the weather, and other simpler methods. And with more even balancing of weight and drag from magnets and matched placebos.

mollwollfumble said:

PermeateFree said:

One of the most persistent scientific mysteries over the past century has been exactly how some organisms seemingly have the ability to sense the Earth’s magnetic field. Despite several hypotheses, and a large volume of research, there is still no conclusive answer to this mystery of a magnetic sense.

A new article, published in the journal Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, presents a novel hypothesis arguing this unexplained sense may be the result of a symbiotic relationship between animals, and a specific group of bacteria with the ability to orient itself along the Earth’s magnetic field lines.

Over the past few years a new hypothesis for magnetoreception has been raised, dubbed “the symbiotic magnetic-sensing hypothesis”. This idea posits magnetotactic bacteria as the underlying explanation behind some animals’ magnetic sense.

Magnetotactic bacteria are a particular group of bacteria known to align with magnetic fields using specialized intracellular organelles called magnetosomes. In the newly published article, Fitak and colleagues present the latest evidence to support the hypothesis that these magnetic-sensing bacteria play a role in how animals sense the surrounding geomagnetic field.

Fitak suggests the data reveals a number of types of magnetotactic bacteria can be detected in animal species suspected of having magnetoreceptive abilities. Atlantic right whales, loggerhead sea turtles and brown bats were all found to harbor distinct types of magnetic-field sensing bacteria.

Despite citing this new evidence, the study is very clear in stating this hypothesis is still deeply speculative. It is unknown exactly how the magnetotactic bacteria could be communicating with its host organism. Plus, it isn’t even known where in an animal the bacteria would need to reside to confer its magnetic-field sensing effects.

Fitak and his co-authors are confident recent advances in metagenomic techniques and DNA sequencing will pave the way for new investigations into these questions. So although it is very early days for the symbiotic magnetic-sensing hypothesis, the new article suggests it is a valid hypothesis worthy of more research.

https://newatlas.com/biology/bacteria-magnetic-field-sense-hypothesis-magnetotactic/

> One of the most persistent scientific mysteries over the past century has been exactly how some organisms seemingly have the ability to sense the Earth’s magnetic field. Despite several hypotheses, and a large volume of research, there is still no conclusive answer to this mystery of a magnetic sense.

Lately, I’ve been wondering if they actually do. The original experiments on the use of magnetic fields by homing pigeons were not done double blind, or with anywhere near as much rigour as experiments require these days.

The presence of magnetite granules inside the brain as a measure of whether animals use magnetic fields for navigation has been debunked, according to the book Supersense, quite simply because a huge number of animal species have these granules and only a few of them actually use magnetic fields for navigation.

The experiment on the use of magnetic fields by homing pigeons needs redoing, with stricter control to eliminate the more easy navigation methods of following roads, following topography, use of the Sun, polarisation of the reflection of light off water, use of the weather, and other simpler methods. And with more even balancing of weight and drag from magnets and matched placebos.

“the use of magnetic fields by homing pigeons needs redoing” You never know they might even find some magnetotactic bacteria. :)

It turns out that the hypothesis that homing pigeons use magnetic fields was successfully debunked way back in 1976 in several papers, such as:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00659150

So quite possibly no animals actually sense the Earth’s magnetic fields.

mollwollfumble said:

It turns out that the hypothesis that homing pigeons use magnetic fields was successfully debunked way back in 1976 in several papers, such as:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00659150

So quite possibly no animals actually sense the Earth’s magnetic fields.

https://phys.org/news/2020-05-animals-earth-magnetic-field.html

roughbarked said:

mollwollfumble said:

It turns out that the hypothesis that homing pigeons use magnetic fields was successfully debunked way back in 1976 in several papers, such as:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00659150

So quite possibly no animals actually sense the Earth’s magnetic fields.

https://phys.org/news/2020-05-animals-earth-magnetic-field.html

Sure, but since the myth has already been busted for pigeons and humans. Also, I think you’ll find, for turtles. Turtles are known find their way around using the polarisation of sunlight and, since smell is far more useful underwater, presumably by smell as well. It’s also known that “magnetic termites” don’t use the sense of the Earth’s magnetic field to orient their mounds.

> which is also found in birds, lobsters, rainbow trout, newts, mole-rats and other animals, as well as many plants

So perhaps these are myths as well. Perhaps look up the original research papers.

mollwollfumble said:

roughbarked said:

mollwollfumble said:

It turns out that the hypothesis that homing pigeons use magnetic fields was successfully debunked way back in 1976 in several papers, such as:

https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/BF00659150

So quite possibly no animals actually sense the Earth’s magnetic fields.

https://phys.org/news/2020-05-animals-earth-magnetic-field.html

Sure, but since the myth has already been busted for pigeons and humans. Also, I think you’ll find, for turtles. Turtles are known find their way around using the polarisation of sunlight and, since smell is far more useful underwater, presumably by smell as well. It’s also known that “magnetic termites” don’t use the sense of the Earth’s magnetic field to orient their mounds.

> which is also found in birds, lobsters, rainbow trout, newts, mole-rats and other animals, as well as many plants

So perhaps these are myths as well. Perhaps look up the original research papers.

Ha ha. So much original science was in fantasy land.

roughbarked said:

mollwollfumble said:

roughbarked said:

https://phys.org/news/2020-05-animals-earth-magnetic-field.html

Sure, but since the myth has already been busted for pigeons and humans. Also, I think you’ll find, for turtles. Turtles are known find their way around using the polarisation of sunlight and, since smell is far more useful underwater, presumably by smell as well. It’s also known that “magnetic termites” don’t use the sense of the Earth’s magnetic field to orient their mounds.

> which is also found in birds, lobsters, rainbow trout, newts, mole-rats and other animals, as well as many plants

So perhaps these are myths as well. Perhaps look up the original research papers.

Ha ha. So much original science was in fantasy land.

It’s called “confirmation bias”.

mollwollfumble said:

roughbarked said:

mollwollfumble said:

Sure, but since the myth has already been busted for pigeons and humans. Also, I think you’ll find, for turtles. Turtles are known find their way around using the polarisation of sunlight and, since smell is far more useful underwater, presumably by smell as well. It’s also known that “magnetic termites” don’t use the sense of the Earth’s magnetic field to orient their mounds.

> which is also found in birds, lobsters, rainbow trout, newts, mole-rats and other animals, as well as many plants

So perhaps these are myths as well. Perhaps look up the original research papers.

Ha ha. So much original science was in fantasy land.

It’s called “confirmation bias”.

How come no-one talks about disconfirmation bias, which is at least equally common?

The Rev Dodgson said:

mollwollfumble said:

roughbarked said:

Ha ha. So much original science was in fantasy land.

It’s called “confirmation bias”.

How come no-one talks about disconfirmation bias, which is at least equally common?

See? Balance Moll. It only happens in good art because the galleries don’t buy the unbalanced stuff.

The Rev Dodgson said:

mollwollfumble said:

roughbarked said:

Ha ha. So much original science was in fantasy land.

It’s called “confirmation bias”.

How come no-one talks about disconfirmation bias, which is at least equally common?

I think the birds are using a sixth sense, so-called pelikenesis.

Homing pigeons Nature 2004.

https://jeb.biologists.org/content/216/12/2192

A magnetic pulse does not affect homing pigeon navigation: a GPS tracking experiment

Bogsnorkler said:

https://jeb.biologists.org/content/216/12/2192

A magnetic pulse does not affect homing pigeon navigation: a GPS tracking experiment

That has been known for quite a while.

Tough sub

roughbarked said:

Bogsnorkler said:

https://jeb.biologists.org/content/216/12/2192

A magnetic pulse does not affect homing pigeon navigation: a GPS tracking experiment

That has been known for quite a while.

obviously didn’t read the summary as this was all covered and the studies were inconclusive, debated etc. so no, it wasn’t known.

Just visited my Laotian barber, short back and sides, five minutes, twelve dorra.

Peak Warming Man said:

Just visited my Laotian barber, short back and sides, five minutes, twelve dorra.

Some say they use magnetic fields

dv said:

Peak Warming Man said:

Just visited my Laotian barber, short back and sides, five minutes, twelve dorra.

Some say they use magnetic fields

is the operation commutative though

SCIENCE said:

dv said:

Peak Warming Man said:

Just visited my Laotian barber, short back and sides, five minutes, twelve dorra.

Some say they use magnetic fields

is the operation commutative though

well some of them live locally

Just thinking. Seeing as we’re talking about the Earth’s magnetic field.

The discovery of the Earth’s magnetic field must rank as one of the least likely discoveries in history.

First float your rock. But it has to be an extremely rare mineral. And it has to be exceptionally still water. And you can’t have anything made of iron around or it will point in the wrong direction.

Then carefully move the water and watch the rock to see if the direction comes back to the original position.

Yeah, like anybody is going to try that experiment. Or even less likely actually see it work.