Category Archives: Sense of Direction

In Praise Of Walking by Shane O’Mara

Posted on 26 September 2022 by Richard Nissen

The new science of how we walk and why it’s good for us This is a snippet from the book, In Praise of Walking by Shane O’Mara, which examines the science behind one of the basic skills that defines us … Continue reading →

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Predictive maps in rats and humans for spatial navigation

Posted on 26 September 2022 by Richard Nissen

Highlights We tested humans, rats, and RL agents on a novel modular maze Humans and rats were remarkably similar in their choice of trajectories Both species were most similar to agents utilizing a SR Humans also displayed features of model-based … Continue reading →

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Adaptation and Evolution of Bird Migration

Posted on 7 January 2022 by Richard Nissen

In this paper you find a rather fascinating overview of the migration of Birds. Malik, Y. S., Arun Prince Milton, A., Ghatak, S. & Ghosh, S. 2021 Adaptation and Evolution of Bird Migration. In Role of Birds in Transmitting Zoonotic Pathogens, pp. … Continue reading →

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Modelling collective navigation via non-local communication

Posted on 4 November 2021 by Richard Nissen

A recent paper called “Modelling collective navigation via non-local communication”has been published by S. T. Johnston(1) and K. J. Painter(2). They tell us that a group of individuals produce better navigational results thanindividuals which is why flocks of birds are … Continue reading →

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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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