The sense of direction is a fascinating and essential aspect of human and animal behaviour that involves the ability to orient oneself in space and navigate through the environment. Discover the science behind how different species, from insects to humans, find their way and establish spatial relationships, including the role of sensory inputs, memory, learning, and cognitive processes. Learn about the factors that affect the sense of direction, from genetics and age to culture and experience, and the impact of technology and environment on wayfinding. Explore the practical applications of the sense of direction research, from urban planning to medicine, and this knowledge’s ethical and social implications. Discover our resources and expert insights on the sense of direction and expand your understanding of this fascinating and complex topic.
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 more efficient than a solo migrant. TheRAF confirms this where they have found that a…
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 the Earth’s magnetic field, which is used for orientation and navigation. Behavioural experiments have shown…
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 this mean that there might be a correlation with the way that humans react to…
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 long-distance migration: from internal clock mechanisms to global flights. One of the critical questions is…
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 Cry” is fascinating about the mythology and lives of the sea birds in his book;…
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 least too heavy for a lot of tiny birds that make huge migrations such as…
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 K, Mouritsen H, Dreyer D, Adden A, Brauburger K and Heinze S (2016) The Australian…
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