Recent evidence out of the Max Planck institute indicates that bats have sensitivity to the geomagnetic field, and use it to navigate. Bats used echolocation to move short distances, but when they are traveling miles from home at night they seem to guide their flight, at least in part, by using the magnetic field around them. Researchers determined this by magnetically disorienting the bats, who would then have difficulty finding their way home.
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Bat Navigation
Recent evidence indicates that bats have sensitivity to the geomagnetic field, and use it to navigate. When they are traveling miles from home at night they seem to guide their flight, at least in part, by using the magnetic field around them.
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April 2026
In this monthly issue, we examine how our understanding of energy — and how we source and use it — is evolving.
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