Nearly All Vertebrates, Including Us, Descended From a Creature With An Electromagnetic Sixth Sense
Mississippi Paddlefish The American paddlefish, Polyodon spathula, has the most ampullary organs of any living vertebrate species. WikipediaMost of us lost our electrosensory abilities along the way Birds and some mammals are able to sense the Earth's magnetic field, using it to orient themselves and even look for prey. Other vertebrates can detect electric fields and use them for the same purpose. Apparently the fish from which humans and most other vertebrates are all descended had this sixth sense, and we just lost it along the way, a new study says. The development of hair in vertebrates - which is still not well understood - may also be related to this ancient ability, the study authors theorize. Understanding how such an ancient and essential system evolved could help evolutionary biologists examine the heritage of other complex organ systems, like eyes or the brain. The vertebrates' common ancestor lived 500 million...