Please%20read%20the%20text%20carefully.%20Identify%20the%20main%20topic%20and%20key%20points%20covered%20in%20the%20text.%20%0AWrite%20a%20concise%20summary%20of%20the%20text,%20focusing%20solely%20on%20the%20main%20topic%20and%20key%20points%20you%20identified.%20Optimize%20the%20summary%20for%20clear%20audio%20narration.%20Dont%20use%20bullets.%20Your%20output%20should%20contain%20only%20the%20summary%20text%20itself.%20Do%20not%20include%20any%20explanations,%20introduction,%20or%20other%20extraneous%20text.%20The%20summary%20should%20be%20able%20to%20stand%20alone.don't%20say%20here%20is%20a%20concise%20summary%20of%20the%20text.%20%0AHere%20is%20the%20text%20to%20summarize.%20don't%20say%20here%20is%20a%20concise%20summary%20of%20the%20text.%20%0A%3Ctext%3E%0A%0A%09%09%0A%09%09%0A%09%09Home%0A%09%09Nanotechnology%0A%09%09Physics%0A%09%09Earth%0A%09%09Astronomy%20%26%20Space%0A%09%09Chemistry%0A%09%09Biology%0A%09%09Other%20Sciences%0A%09%09%0A%0A%0A%0A%0A%0A18%0A%0ADec%206,%202024%0A%0A%0A%0A18%0A%09%09Biology%20Plants%20%26%20Animals%0A%09%09Biology%20Molecular%20%26%20Computational%20biology%0AEditors'%20notes%0AUnlike%20other%20insects,%20desert%20ants%20may%20use%20polarity%20of%20geomagnetic%20field%20for%20navigation%0Aby%20University%20of%20Oldenburg%0A%0A%0ADesert%20ants%20can%20sense%20the%20North-South%20direction%20of%20the%20magnetic%20field%20to%20determine%20the%20direction%20of%20their%20nest%20entrance%20during%20so%20called%20learning%20walks.%20Credit:%20Robin%20Grob%20Experimental%20alteration%20of%20the%20polarity%20and%20inclination%20of%20the%20magnetic%20field%20with%20a%203D%20Helmholtz%20coil%20setup%0ADesert%20ants%20of%20the%20Cataglyphis%20nodus%20species%20use%20the%20Earth's%20magnetic%20field%20for%20spatial%20orientation,%20but%20these%20tiny%20insects%20rely%20on%20a%20different%20component%20of%20the%20field%20than%20other%20insects,%20a%20research%20team%20led%20by%20Dr.%20Pauline%20Fleischmann%20from%20the%20University%20of%20Oldenburg,%20Germany,%20reports%20in%20the%20journal%20Current%20Biology.%0A%0AAs%20the%20team%20explains%20in%20its%20paper,%20this%20suggests%20that%20they%20also%20use%20a%20different%20mechanism%20for%20magnetoreception%20than%20most%20insects%20studied%20to%20date,%20including,%20for%20example,%20the%20famous%20monarch%20butterflies.%20The%20researchers%20suspect%20that%20magnetoreception%20in%20these%20desert%20ants%20is%20based%20on%20a%20mechanism%20involving%20tiny%20particles%20of%20the%20iron%20oxide%20mineral%20magnetite%20or%20other%20magnetic%20particles.%0AHow%20exactly%20magnetoreception%20works%20in%20animals,%20and%20what%20physical%20mechanism%20it%20is%20based%20on%20is%20still%20the%20subject%20of%20lively%20debate%20among%20scientists.%20One%20hypothesis%20under%20discussion%20is%20a%20light-dependent%20quantum%20effect%20known%20as%20the%20radical-pair%20mechanism.%20Small%20songbirds%20and%20possibly%20also%20insects%20such%20as%20monarch%20butterflies%20are%20thought%20to%20use%20this%20mechanism.%20The%20Collaborative%20Research%20Center%20%22Magnetoreception%20and%20Navigation%20in%20Vertebrates%22%20led%20by%20biologist%20Prof.%20Dr.%20Henrik%20Mouritsen%20at%20the%20University%20of%20Oldenburg%20has%20gathered%20substantial%20evidence%20supporting%20this%20hypothesis.%0AAnother%20hypothesis%20is%20that%20in%20some%20animals%20magnetoreception%20is%20based%20on%20tiny%20magnetic%20particles%20in%20sensory%20or%20nerve%20cells%20that%20point%20to%20the%20magnetic%20North,%20in%20a%20similar%20way%20to%20a%20compass%20needle.%20There%20is%20now%20considerable%20evidence%20that%20both%20forms%20of%20magnetoreception%20occur%20in%20nature.%20Pigeons,%20bats%20and%20sea%20turtles,%20for%20example,%20appear%20to%20sense%20the%20geomagnetic%20field%20via%20magnetic%20particles.%0A%0ABehavioral%20experiments%20can%20distinguish%20between%20different%20mechanisms%20of%20magnetoreception%0ASince%20the%20proposed%20mechanisms%20for%20magnetoreception%20are%20based%20on%20different%20physical%20principles,%20behavioral%20experiments%20can%20be%20designed%20to%20determine%20which%20mechanism%20is%20used%20by%20which%20animals.%20The%20scientists%20part%20from%20the%20premise%20that%20animals%20with%20a%20particle-based%20magnetic%20sense%20are%20sensitive%20to%20the%20north-south%20direction%20of%20the%20geomagnetic%20field,%20in%20other%20words%20its%20%22polarity,%22%20whereas%20those%20that%20rely%20on%20the%20radical-pair%20mechanism%20perceive%20the%20inclination,%20i.e.%20the%20angle%20between%20the%20geomagnetic%20field%20lines%20and%20the%20Earth's%20surface.%0ATo%20gain%20more%20insights%20into%20how%20the%20magnetic%20sense%20of%20desert%20ants%20functions,%20Fleischmann,%20together%20with%20Dr.%20Robin%20Grob%20(now%20at%20the%20Norwegian%20University%20of%20Science%20and%20Technology,%20Trondheim,%20Norway),%20Johanna%20Wegmann%20and%20Prof.%20Dr.%20Wolfgang%20R%C3%B6ssler%20from%20the%20University%20of%20W%C3%BCrzburg,%20Germany,%20investigated%20which%20component%20of%20the%20Earth's%20magnetic%20field%20these%20insects%20are%20able%20to%20detect:%20the%20inclination%20or%20the%20polarity.%20In%202018,%20while%20Fleischmann%20was%20doing%20her%20Ph.D.%20at%20the%20University%20of%20W%C3%BCrzburg,%20the%20research%20team%20discovered%20that%20desert%20ants%20possess%20a%20magnetic%20sense.%20She%20has%20been%20a%20Research%20Fellow%20in%20the%20Oldenburg%20CRC%20since%202022.%0A%0AThe%20researchers%20used%20a%203D%20Helmholtz%20coil%20to%20manipulate%20the%20magnetic%20field%20during%20their%20field%20experiments%20in%20Greece.%20The%20coil%20was%20placed%20above%20the%20nest%20entrance.%20Ants%20could%20enter%20the%20experimental%20platform%20above%20the%20nest%20via%20a%20tube.%20Individuals%20coming%20out%20for%20the%20via%20were%20filmed%20with%20a%20camcorder%20to%20record%20their%20learning%20walks.%20Credit:%20Robin%20Grob%0AIn%20the%20current%20study,%20the%20researchers%20exposed%20ants%20from%20a%20colony%20in%20Greece%20to%20various%20manipulated%20magnetic%20fields.%20For%20this,%20they%20set%20up%20Helmholtz%20coils%20above%20the%20entrance%20of%20the%20nest%20and%20guided%20ants%20that%20emerged%20from%20the%20nest%20through%20a%20tunnel%20to%20an%20experimental%20platform%20at%20the%20center%20of%20the%20coils%20where%20they%20were%20then%20filmed%20while%20performing%20their%20%22learning%20walks%22%E2%80%94a%20behavior%20that%20desert%20ants%20display%20when%20they%20leave%20their%20nest%20for%20the%20very%20first%20time.%0AFleischmann%20had%20discovered%20while%20completing%20her%20doctoral%20project%20that%20the%20ants%20use%20the%20Earth's%20magnetic%20field%20to%20memorize%20the%20direction%20of%20the%20nest%20entrance%20during%20these%20learning%20walks:%20they%20repeatedly%20interrupt%20their%20forward%20movement%20to%20stop%20and%20look%20in%20the%20direction%20of%20the%20nest%20entrance.%20The%20researchers%20suspect%20that%20the%20ants%20are%20using%20the%20magnetic%20field%20to%20train%20their%20visual%20memory.%20The%20results%20of%20a%20study%20on%20the%20ants'%20brain%20development%20which%20the%20team%20recently%20published%20in%20the%20journal%20Proceedings%20of%20the%20National%20Academy%20of%20Sciences%20appear%20to%20confirm%20this.%0A%0AChanging%20the%20inclination%20had%20no%20effect%20on%20the%20ants'%20behavior%0AIn%20the%20current%20study,%20the%20researchers%20exposed%20the%20ants%20to%20artificial%20magnetic%20fields%20that%20pointed%20in%20a%20different%20direction%20to%20the%20Earth's%20natural%20magnetic%20field.%20The%20team%20found%20that%20if%20they%20only%20changed%20the%20vertical%20component%20of%20the%20field,%20the%20inclination,%20this%20had%20no%20effect%20on%20the%20direction%20of%20the%20ants'%20gaze:%20they%20continued%20to%20look%20towards%20the%20location%20of%20the%20nest%20entrance%20during%20their%20learning%20walks.%20However,%20if%20the%20polarity%20of%20the%20field,%20i.e.%20the%20north-south%20axis,%20was%20rotated%20by%20180%20degrees,%20the%20ants%20surmised%20that%20the%20nest%20entrance%20was%20at%20a%20completely%20different%20location.%0ABased%20on%20these%20results,%20the%20researchers%20conclude%20that%20unlike%20monarch%20butterflies%20or%20songbirds,%20ants%20do%20not%20use%20the%20inclination%20of%20the%20geomagnetic%20field,%20which%20is%20probably%20more%20useful%20for%20long-distance%20migration.%20Instead,%20they%20rely%20on%20the%20polarity%20of%20the%20field%20to%20navigate%20during%20their%20learning%20walks.%0A%22This%20type%20of%20compass%20is%20particularly%20useful%20for%20navigation%20over%20comparatively%20short%20distances,%22%20Fleischmann%20emphasizes.%0ADesert%20ants%20have%20long%20been%20known%20to%20have%20excellent%20navigational%20skills:%20they%20live%20in%20the%20featureless%20salt%20pans%20of%20the%20North%20African%20Sahara%20or%20in%20pine%20forests%20in%20Greece%20where%20there%20are%20few%20landmarks%20to%20use%20for%20orientation,%20and%20they%20may%20move%20hundreds%20of%20meters%20away%20from%20their%20nest%20to%20forage%20for%20food.%20When%20they%20leave%20the%20nest,%20they%20move%20in%20a%20zig-zag%20pattern,%20but%20once%20they%20have%20found%20food%20they%20return%20to%20the%20nest%20entrance%20in%20a%20straight%20line.%0A%22The%20discovery%20that%20ants,%20which%20along%20with%20bees%20and%20wasps%20belong%20to%20the%20Hymenoptera%20order,%20use%20a%20different%20mechanism%20for%20magnetoreception%20other%20insect%20species%20such%20as%20butterflies%20or%20cockroaches%20also%20opens%20up%20new%20avenues%20for%20studying%20the%20evolution%20of%20this%20special%20form%20of%20sensory%20perception%20in%20the%20animal%20kingdom,%22%20Fleischmann%20says.%0A%0AMore%20information:%20Robin%20Grob%20et%20al,%20Cataglyphis%20ants%20have%20a%20polarity-sensitive%20magnetic%20compass,%20Current%20Biology%20(2024).%20DOI:%2010.1016/j.cub.2024.11.012%0AJournal%20information:%20Proceedings%20of%20the%20National%20Academy%20of%20Sciences%20,%20Current%20Biology%0AProvided%20by%20University%20of%20Oldenburg%0A+%20Explore%20further%0ADesert%20ants:%20Earth's%20magnetic%20field%20calibrates%20their%20navigation%20system%0A18%C2%A0shares%0AFeedback%20to%20editors%0A%09%09Related%0A%09%09Recommended%0A%0ADesert%20ants:%20Earth's%20magnetic%20field%20calibrates%20their%20navigation%20system%0A%0AFeb%2013,%202024%0A%0ASurprising%20findings%20reveal%20desert%20ants%20orient%20to%20the%20geomagnetic%20field%0A%0AApr%2027,%202018%0A%0ABlack%20garden%20ants%20modify%20the%20structure%20of%20their%20nests%20to%20mitigate%20fungal%20infection%20spread%0A%0ASep%2020,%202024%0AREPORT%0A%0AMigratory%20bats%20can%20detect%20the%20Earth's%20magnetic%20field,%20behavioral%20experiments%20show%0A%0ADec%2012,%202023%0A%0AMagnetic%20displacement%20experiment%20challenges%20long-held%20theories%20on%20how%20migratory%20birds%20navigate%0A%0ANov%2013,%202024%0A%0ADesert%20ants%20have%20an%20amazing%20odor%20memory%0A%0ASep%2024,%202018%0A%0AA%20nature%20conservation%20paradox:%20Invasive%20species%20are%20often%20threatened%20in%20their%20native%20habitat%0A%0ADec%206,%202024%0A%0AWorld's%20oldest%20known%20wild%20bird%20is%20expecting%20again,%20aged%2074%0A%0ADec%206,%202024%0A%0AComputer%20modeling%20shows%20close%20encounters%20between%20distant%20DNA%20regions%20cause%20bursts%20of%20gene%20activity%0A%0ADec%206,%202024%0A%0AA%20microRNA%20solves%20an%20evolutionary%20mystery%20of%20butterfly%20and%20moth%20wing%20coloration%0A%0ADec%206,%202024%0A%0AUnlocking%20the%20secrets%20of%20collagen:%20How%20sea%20creature%20superpowers%20are%20inspiring%20smart%20biomaterials%20for%20human%20health%0A%0ADec%206,%202024%0A%0ADigital%20twin%20model%20enables%20precise%20simulation%20of%20forest%20landscapes,%20depicting%20a%20forest%20in%20100%20years%0A%0ADec%206,%202024%0A%0ANew%20species%20of%20damselfish%20discovered%20in%20deep-sea%20coral%20reefs%20of%20Maldives%0A%0ADec%206,%202024%0AREPORT%0ALoad%20comments%20(0)%0A%0A%0AVortex%20electric%20field%20discovery%20could%20impact%20quantum%20computing%0A%0A21%20hours%20ago%0A%0AClimate%20patterns%20from%20cave%20mineral%20deposits%20linked%20to%20Chinese%20dynasty%20collapses%0A%0ADec%207,%202024%0AFEATURE%0A%0ASaturday%20citations:%20The%20'donut%20effect';%20basically%20immortal%20batteries;%20Neanderthals%20and%20H.%20sapiens%0A%0ADec%207,%202024%0AREPORT%0A%0AObserving%20gain-induced%20group%20delay%20between%20multiphoton%20pulses%20generated%20in%20a%20spontaneous%20down-conversion%20source%0A%0ADec%207,%202024%0AFEATURE%0A%0AScientists%20urged%20to%20pull%20the%20plug%20on%20'bathtub%20modeling'%20of%20flood%20risk%0A%0ADec%206,%202024%0A%0AHybrid%20model%20links%20micro%20and%20macro%20scales%20in%20complex%20systems%0A%0ADec%206,%202024%0A%0APlankton%20study%20investigates%20how%20marine%20food%20webs%20respond%20to%20increasing%20alkalinity%0A%0ADec%206,%202024%0A%0AInterdisciplinary%20research%20reveals%20impressive%20adaptation%20mechanisms%20of%20microscopic%20algae%0A%0ADec%206,%202024%0A%0AExperiment%20verifies%20a%20connection%20between%20quantum%20theory%20and%20information%20theory%0A%0ADec%206,%202024%0A%0AHigh%20heat%20is%20preferentially%20killing%20the%20young,%20not%20the%20old,%20research%20finds%0A%0ADec%206,%202024%0A%0APioneering%20survey%20methodology%20sets%20new%20standards%20for%20gauging%20global%20scientific%20consensus%0A%0ADec%206,%202024%0A%09%09%0A%09%09%0A%09%09%0A%09%09%0A%09%09%0A%09%09%0A%09%09%0A%09%09%E2%80%A8%E2%80%A8%0A%09%09%E2%80%A8Favourites%0A%09%09%E2%80%A8%E2%80%A8%0A%09%09Subscribe%20to%20Newsletter%0A%09%09%E2%80%A8%E2%80%A8%E2%80%A8%E2%80%A8%E2%80%A8%0A%09%09Full%20version%E2%80%A8About%0ATopic%20Settings%0AIdentify%20the%20news%20topics%20you%20want%20to%20see%20and%20prioritize%20an%20order.%0A%09%09%E2%80%A8%E2%80%A8%E2%80%A8%E2%80%A8%E2%80%A8%E2%80%A8%E2%80%A8%E2%80%A8%E2%80%A8%E2%80%A8%E2%80%A8%E2%80%A8%E2%80%A8%0ASave%20and%20exit%0ACancel%0A%0A%0A%0AScience%20X%20Daily%20and%20the%20Weekly%20Email%20Newsletter%20are%20free%20features%20that%20allow%20you%20to%20receive%20your%20favorite%20sci-tech%20news%20updates%20in%20your%20email%20inbox%0A%0A%0A%0A%0A%0A%0ABack%20to%20top%0A%0AGET%20IN%20TOUCH%0A%09%09Contact%20us%0AOUR%20PRODUCTS%0A%09%09Tech%20Xplore%0A%09%09Medical%20Xpress%0A%09%09Science%20X%0AOTHER%20PUBLICATIONS%0A%09%09Android%20app%0A%09%09iOS%20app%0A%09%09RSS%20feeds%0AEXTRAS%0A%09%09Help%0A%09%09FAQ%0ALEGAL%0A%09%09About%0A%09%09Terms%20of%20use%0A%09%09Privacy%20policy%0A%09%09Science%20X%20Account%0A%09%09Premium%20Account%0A%09%09Newsletter%0A%09%09Archive%0A%C2%A9%20Phys.org%202003%20-%202024%20powered%20by%20Science%20X%20Network%0A%0A%3C/text%3E