Birds' sense of direction still up in the air
Friday, April 13, 2012 - 18:30
in Physics & Chemistry
A new study undermines a long-held theory that certain cells in the beak act as magnetoreceptors to detect the Earth's magnetic field. The findings conclude those cells just fight off infection.Talk about going off-course. Scientists are heading back to the drawing board after a controversial new study undercut a widely held theory about birds' ability to detect the Earth's magnetic fields in order to navigate.