Pigeons’ Internal Compass Traced to Liver Cells, Scientists Reveal

Discovery of the Pigeon’s Inner Navigation System

According to НВ — Техно: On June 3 at 6:00 PM, an international team of physicists, immunologists, and biologists published a study in the journal Science claiming that the internal compass of pigeons resides in their liver-specifically within iron-rich immune cells known as macrophages. This breakthrough sheds light on how birds manage long-distance orientation, a longstanding puzzle in biology.

Macrophages play a vital role in the body by recycling old red blood cells and accumulating iron. As this process unfolds, the iron inside the cells crystallizes into oxide nanoparticles, turning the macrophages into superparamagnetic sensors. These iron-laden cells wrap around nerve fibers, which is likely the key mechanism behind the pigeons’ internal compass.

Experimental Findings

The research was conducted by ornithologists in the German city of Konstanz. In the experiment, homing pigeons were taken 20 kilometers away from their home loft. Some of the birds had their liver macrophages temporarily deactivated using a special treatment. The results were striking:

• When the sun was shining, all the test birds managed to find their way home.
• However, when the sky was overcast, pigeons with deactivated macrophages lost their sense of direction and could not navigate back.

This study highlights the critical role of immune cells in avian navigation and could open up new avenues for understanding orientation mechanisms in nature. Exploring these connections between the immune system and navigational abilities may have implications not only for zoology but also for medicine and biology as a whole.

The discovery could influence future research in biology and medicine, as insights into bird navigation may yield fresh knowledge about how the immune system interacts with the nervous system. Expanding our understanding of these processes might lay the groundwork for novel treatments or preventive strategies for diseases linked to immune system dysfunction.