Birds use their right eye to see the Earth’s magnetic field and use it to navigate, scientists have discovered. German researchers found that if a bird’s right eye was covered by a frosted goggle, the birds could not navigate effectively, while they could navigate perfectly well if the left eye was covered instead. It has long been known that birds are able to sense magnetic fields and use them to navigate, particularly when migrating south for the winter.Now researchers have found that the bird actually sees the magnetic fields with their right eye giving information to the left side of their brain. The magnetic images create light or dark shadings over what the bird usually sees with its normal vision. The shadings change as the bird turns its head, giving it a visual compass from the patterns of shading. Scientists believe that the birds have molecules in their retina which shift into an active state when struck by blue light in which each molecule has an unpaired electron, creating a 'radical pair.' The presence of magnetic fields affects the time it takes for the radical pair molecules to revert to their inactive state. Both the visual and magnetic images involve variations in light and shade, but visual images tend to have sharp lines and edges, while the magnetic images have more gradual changes from light to dark.(Daily Mail)Tuesday, 13 July 2010
Birds navigate by being able to SEE Earth's magnetic field with their right eye
Birds use their right eye to see the Earth’s magnetic field and use it to navigate, scientists have discovered. German researchers found that if a bird’s right eye was covered by a frosted goggle, the birds could not navigate effectively, while they could navigate perfectly well if the left eye was covered instead. It has long been known that birds are able to sense magnetic fields and use them to navigate, particularly when migrating south for the winter.Now researchers have found that the bird actually sees the magnetic fields with their right eye giving information to the left side of their brain. The magnetic images create light or dark shadings over what the bird usually sees with its normal vision. The shadings change as the bird turns its head, giving it a visual compass from the patterns of shading. Scientists believe that the birds have molecules in their retina which shift into an active state when struck by blue light in which each molecule has an unpaired electron, creating a 'radical pair.' The presence of magnetic fields affects the time it takes for the radical pair molecules to revert to their inactive state. Both the visual and magnetic images involve variations in light and shade, but visual images tend to have sharp lines and edges, while the magnetic images have more gradual changes from light to dark.(Daily Mail)