Category Archives: Sense of Direction

Magnetoreception – the ability to sense the Earth’s magnetic field

Posted on 16 November 2020 by Richard Nissen

David Keays is one of the mega stars of animal navigation research and has spent a life time trying to work out how magnetism might work. Here is a summary of his latest work: Magnetoreception is the ability to sense … Continue reading →

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Discovery of a human geomagnetic sensory system | Human Frontier Science Program

Posted on 7 May 2019 by Richard Nissen

http://www.hfsp.org/hfsp-news-events/discovery-human-geomagnetic-sensory-system IntroThis link is fascinating and shows that humans can sense the magnetic field even if they do not know that they have. We already know that a lot of animal navigation takes place in the hippocampus i.e. in the Subconscious. Could … Continue reading →

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Timing avian long-distance migration

Posted on 11 November 2017 by Richard Nissen

Susanne Åkesson is one of the foremost academics working in the field of animal navigation.  Her recent paper: “Timing avian long-distance migration: from internal clock mechanisms to global flights” is impressive and important. Please see attached the whole paper: Timing avian … Continue reading →

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The Albatross

Posted on 21 October 2017 by Richard Nissen

You will find other descriptions here of Henri Weimerskirch’s work on Albatrosses under Albatrosses on this site as well as Anna Gagliardo’s work on the use of smell in navigation. A book recently written by Adam Nicholson called “The Seabirds … Continue reading →

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Successful acceptance test of the ICARUS qualification model

Posted on 25 June 2017 by Richard Nissen

This site takes you into the world where technology is trying to understand animal migration by using tags and a sophisticated satellite system to follow routes taken by animals.  Up until now tags have often been very heavy, or at … Continue reading →

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Long-Distance Nocturnal Navigator

Posted on 15 May 2016 by Richard Nissen

Warrant11 2016 Here is a fascinating paper about The Australian Bogong Moth Agrotis infusa: which is the most amazing  Long-Distance Nocturnal Navigator.  As they navigate at night their feat is perhaps even more amazing than the migration of the Monarch butterfly in the USA. Richard Nissen editor Warrant E, Frost B, Green … Continue reading →

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Annual Conference of Dowsers on Animal Navigation

Posted on 15 December 2015 by Richard Nissen

In September 2015 I was asked to give a workshop at the Annual Conference of Dowsers on Animal Navigation. Of course I talked about how animals, including birds, navigate and all the outstanding questions that remain on how they do … Continue reading →

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