Iron found in bird brains could be key to migration
Monday, May 6, 2013 - 16:01
in Paleontology & Archaeology
By Douglas MainLiveScienceOn "probably the most exciting day" of David Keays' life, his researchteam found microscopic iron balls in the thinly sliced neurons of a pigeon's inner ear. For four years, Keays' team had been searching for the cellular receptor that allows birds to sense magnetic fields. This ability allows some birds to migrate thousands of miles, but no scientist has definitively fou...