Marine biologists have been trying to figure out how it is that migratory fish, such as salmon and trout, can travel to a very specific point in the ocean without needing to learn how to do so, and then return to that place year after year without mistake. The solution to this dilemma is actually simpler than we could have imagined. Michael Walker, a New Zealand neuroscientist, recently found traces of magnetite in the tissue of a trout's nostril. By its name alone, you can probably deduct that magnetite has something to do with magnets. It is, in fact, a strongly magnetic mineral. We, as humans, use compasses to figure out where we are and where we're going. However, Walker's findings support a theory that most or all animals have a sort of built-in compass. The way it works (simply put) is that the magnetite is attracted to the magnetic fields put out by the earth's poles. The cells containing the magnetite are affected by the fields, and they could then send signals to the brain, allowing for a built in compass. Many scientists believe that all migratory animals have similar modes of navigation. This is an ENORMOUS breakthrough in behavioral biology, as the mechanism animals use to migrate to the same places year after year without deviation has been a mystery for a long time.
Biologists are now trying to find similar mechanisms in pigeons, which are known for having a very developed sense of direction and distance. In fact, in both World Wars, pigeons were used to send encrypted messages to troops and commanding officers across Europe. It is very possible that humans also have this built in navigation system, but our nervous systems aren't complex enough to consciously use it.
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