Salmon Use Magnetic Field To Navigate
This is meaningful, because for every animal that does get studied in this way (because scientists are curious about how they navigate from A to B), there will be dozens of other animals that use the same bio-technology but are not studied. Consequently, the butterfly effect from a magnetic pole shift could be massive and lead to major ecological breakdowns around the planet.
Researchers at Oregon State University report their studies suggest salmon use magnetism to find their way to their home rivers during spawning migrations.
…Writing in the journal Current Biology, the researchers suggest salmon find those home rivers by sensing the river’s unique magnetic signature.
…”These results are consistent with the idea that juvenile salmon imprint on [i.e., learn and remember] the magnetic signature of their home river, and then seek that same magnetic signature during their spawning migration,” Oregon post-doctoral researcher Nathan Putman said.
Most salmon make the round-trip migration, which may total 8,000 miles, only once in their lives, typically dying soon after spawning, the researchers said.
Read more: http://www.upi.com/Science_News/2013/02/07/Salmon-said-to-navigate-by-magnetism/UPI-11341360273325/
