2023-08-15 14:09:20
Magnetic north does not quite correspond to true north. French scientists have developed a device capable of detecting the second, day and night.
Finding north without a compass or compass is a feat that many animals are capable of, but that we still struggle to explain. While most migratory birds are equipped with some kind of sensors capable of locating the magnetic north pole, many living beings use exclusively visual techniques. Just looking at the light helps them find their way. This is the case of the ant Cataglyphis for example, who can estimate his course in the middle of the desert thanks to his optical compass, a region of his eye sensitive to the polarization of the sky. A team made up of researchers from the Étienne-Jules Marey Institute of Movement Sciences and the Nanosciences Microelectronics Materials Institute of Provence (Aix-Marseille University – CNRS) proposes to develop a new geolocation tool inspired by biomimicry , of these animal methods (Pnas, 17 juillet 2023).
Read alsoMagnetic pole: when the North turns to the East
« From the compass to the compass, there are several techniques for locating north, but most use…
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