97-Million-Year-Old Giant Magnetofossils May Be the Earliest Known Animal Magnetic 'GPS'
Photo by Nicola Narracci on Pexels
An Ancient Navigation System Uncovered
Long before satellites and smartphones, life on Earth may already have carried its own navigation system. Researchers have identified what may be the earliest known evidence of an internal animal 'GPS', a system that uses Earth's magnetic field to find the way.
The evidence comes from magnetofossils dating from 97 million years ago. The study was led by researchers at the University of Cambridge.
Strange Shapes From the Ancient Seafloor
The fossils were preserved in ancient seafloor sediments, and their forms are unusual. They are shaped like:
- spearheads
- spindles
- bullets
- needles
For all their varied shapes, they are tiny. Each fossil is no larger than a bacterial cell.
A Mystery Maker
Scientists believe the fossils are biological in origin, meaning a living organism produced them. Exactly which organism remains unknown. Researchers have not yet determined what creature made these minute magnetic structures.
Seeing Magnetism in 3D
To understand what the fossils might have done, researchers from the University of Cambridge and Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin captured the first 3D images of the fossils' magnetic structure.
The images show features that appear optimised to detect both the direction and the strength of Earth's magnetic field. Sensing both would give an organism more information than direction alone, and that combination would aid navigation.
Built for Precision Travel
Professor Rich Harrison of Cambridge's Department of Earth Sciences, who co-led the research, said the creature that made the magnetofossils was most likely capable of accurate navigation.
According to reporting on the study, the magnetic structure could have helped this unknown ocean creature navigate thousands of kilometres with surprising precision.
Clues to How Modern Animals Navigate
The discovery could also shed light on how navigation works in animals alive today. According to the researchers, the findings could help explain how modern birds and fish evolved the ability to use Earth's magnetic field to navigate long distances. The origins of that ability may trace back to a tiny, still-unidentified organism on an ancient seafloor.