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You are probably aware of migratory behavior of birds. But what is the mechanism that accounts for this?
It is based on a unique biochemistry that incorporates ferromagnetic material (magnetite) within them and utilizes their orientation to govern its spatial movement (horizontal and vertical). Outside of migration behavior, other examples of orientation behavior due to magnetite, occur across the animal kingdom: honey bees, homing pigeons, sharks, dolphins, newt, rainbow trout, salmon. Even certain bacteria e.g. Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense exhibit this. Researchers found stable needle-like strands of magnetite crystal (magnetic dipoles) in these bacteria.
It is based on a unique biochemistry that incorporates ferromagnetic material (magnetite) within them and utilizes their orientation to govern its spatial movement (horizontal and vertical). Outside of migration behavior, other examples of orientation behavior due to magnetite, occur across the animal kingdom: honey bees, homing pigeons, sharks, dolphins, newt, rainbow trout, salmon. Even certain bacteria e.g. Magnetospirillum gryphiswaldense exhibit this. Researchers found stable needle-like strands of magnetite crystal (magnetic dipoles) in these bacteria.
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