Researchers Propose Liver as a Potential Magnetoreceptor in Pigeons

For decades, scientists have been puzzled by the ability of homing pigeons to navigate back to their lofts from hundreds of miles away with remarkable accuracy. Traditional theories of avian navigation have focused on magnetoreception, with candidate organs including magnetite in the beak, cryptochrome proteins in the retina, and hair cells in the inner ear. None of these has been conclusively proven as the primary sensor. A recent study suggests a surprising alternative: the liver. Researchers hypothesize that iron-rich cells in the liver, which naturally store iron in forms like ferritin and hemosiderin, could detect variations in the Earth's magnetic field. This information could then be converted into electrochemical signals to assist navigation. While this is physiologically plausible, the study acknowledges that the pathway from liver to brain remains unproven, and birds likely integrate multiple sensory cues including visual, olfactory, and infrasound signals. If hepatic magnetoreception is confirmed, it could reshape the understanding of magnetic sensing in vertebrates and inspire new low-power magnetic navigation sensors for robotics. The study, published in Science, offers a testable hypothesis rather than a definitive explanation, highlighting a novel potential role for an organ traditionally known for metabolism rather than sensory function.

Researchers Propose Liver as a Potential Magnetoreceptor in Pigeons

For decades, scientists have been puzzled by the ability of homing pigeons to navigate back to their lofts from hundreds of miles away with remarkable accuracy. Traditional theories of avian navigation have focused on magnetoreception, with candidate organs including magnetite in the beak, cryptochrome proteins in the retina, and hair cells in the inner ear. None of these has been conclusively proven as the primary sensor. A recent study suggests a surprising alternative: the liver. Researchers hypothesize that iron-rich cells in the liver, which naturally store iron in forms like ferritin and hemosiderin, could detect variations in the Earth's magnetic field. This information could then be converted into electrochemical signals to assist navigation. While this is physiologically plausible, the study acknowledges that the pathway from liver to brain remains unproven, and birds likely integrate multiple sensory cues including visual, olfactory, and infrasound signals. If hepatic magnetoreception is confirmed, it could reshape the understanding of magnetic sensing in vertebrates and inspire new low-power magnetic navigation sensors for robotics. The study, published in Science, offers a testable hypothesis rather than a definitive explanation, highlighting a novel potential role for an organ traditionally known for metabolism rather than sensory function.

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NPhys - Neurophysics Group | Gruppi e progetti di ricerca

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5,763 likes, 55 comments - nyctourism on April 28, 2025: "If you know where to look in Central Park, you can touch a piece of NYC’s civil engineering history.⁠ ⁠ It’s one of the last remaining survey bolts from John Randel Jr.’s Commissioners’ Plan of 1811, which laid out the original plan for Manhattan’s street grid above* 14th Street.⁠ ⁠ Randel hammered hundreds of these throughout Manhattan where possible street intersections would be. ⁠ ⁠ *New Yorkers use “above” and “below” as directionals when referring to Manhattan streets, rather than “north” or “south,” because the island of Manhattan is not aligned exactly north-south on the map—it’s tilted slightly along a northeast–southwest line.⁠ ⁠ About this series: @foundedbynyc Object Lessons explores historically significant and/or groundbreaking items that tourists can see when they visit.⁠ It’s part of NYC Tourism’s commemoration of New York City’s 400th anniversary this year. #NYC400⁠ ⁠ Video description: This POV video is shot on a rocky hillside in Central Park, with host John Friia sitting on a large exposed patch of Manhattan schist with an iron spike hammered into it.".