Magnetic navigation – putting the cat among the pigeons

A high resolution MRI (magnetic resonance image) of the pigeon beak, showing the area in which the IMP-team searched for magnetic neurons, but instead found iron-rich macrophages. Copyright: Johannes Riegler, UCL<br>

However, research published today in Nature shows that this is not the case. The study shows that iron-rich cells in the pigeon beak are in fact specialised white blood cells, called macrophages. This finding, which shatters the established dogma, puts the field back on course as the search for magnetic cells continues.

“The mystery of how animals detect magnetic fields, has just got more mysterious” said Dr David Keays who led the study. Dr Keays’s lab, based at the Research Institute of Molecular Patholgy (IMP) in Vienna, worked together with Dr Shaw from the University of Western Australian and Dr Mark Lythgoe from the UCL Centre for Advanced Biomedical Imaging. Together they employed state-of-the-art imaging techniques to visualise and map the location of iron rich cells in the pigeon beak.

“We had hoped to find nerves with magnetic crystals” said Dr Keays “but unexpectedly we found thousands of macrophages, each filled with tiny balls of iron.” Macrophages are a type of white blood cell that play a vital role in defending against infection and re-cycling iron from red blood cells, “but they’re unlikely to be involved in magnetic sensing“ explained Dr Keays.

The search for the actual mechanism that allows migratory birds, and many other animals, to respond to the Earth's magnetic field and navigate around their environment remains an intriguing puzzle to be solved.

“We have no idea how big the puzzle is or what the picture looks like, but today we’ve been able to remove those pieces that just didn’t fit“ said Dr Keays.

Media Contact

Dr. Heidemarie Hurtl idw

More Information:

http://www.imp.ac.at

All latest news from the category: Life Sciences and Chemistry

Articles and reports from the Life Sciences and chemistry area deal with applied and basic research into modern biology, chemistry and human medicine.

Valuable information can be found on a range of life sciences fields including bacteriology, biochemistry, bionics, bioinformatics, biophysics, biotechnology, genetics, geobotany, human biology, marine biology, microbiology, molecular biology, cellular biology, zoology, bioinorganic chemistry, microchemistry and environmental chemistry.

Back to home

Comments (0)

Write a comment

Newest articles

EEG ad tDCS chould serve as the basis of therapeutic strategies to combat newrological disorders. Image Credit: Institute of Science Tokyo

Using Electroencephalography to Improve Language Disorder Treatments

Researchers work towards an inexpensive and portable solution for treating aphasia  Electroencephalography (EEG) may offer a more accessible alternative to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) for guiding transcranial direct current…

The BioSCape team is poctured with NASA and South African aircraft. Image Credit: Jeremey Shelton/Fishwater Films

Measuring Life on Earth from Space: A Global Research Project

Measurements and data collected from space can be used to better understand life on Earth. An ambitious, multinational research project funded by NASA and co-led by UC Merced civil and…

NEJM study finds patients with blockages in medium-sized vessels in the brain who had endovascular treatment did not do any better and did not see any improvement compared to patients who had the standard of care. Dr. Michael Hill, MD, Dr. Mayank Goyal, MD, PhD (right). Image Credit: Riley Brandt, University of Calgary

Best Approach for Stroke in Medium-Sized Blood Vessels Identified

Calgary’s Stroke Program advancing science to improve care, treatment and outcomes for patients  University of Calgary’s Hotchkiss Brain Institute researchers with the Calgary Stroke Program at Foothills Medical Centre revolutionized…