How does a magnetic compass work? Well, it’s all down to basic physics and human ingenuity. The key component of a standard baseplate compass is its magnetized needle, which is allowed to spin freely ...

Since its first documented use by the Chinese centuries ago, the magnetic compass has guided countless sailors safely across the seas. Though the compass allowed for the advent of modern navigation, ...

Not only migratory birds use a built-in magnetic compass to navigate correctly. A new study shows that non-migratory birds also are able to use a built-in compass to orient themselves using the ...

Birds have a light-dependent compass in their eyes. This compass gives them information about the direction of the Earth's magnetic field. Researchers have now elucidated how this compass works at the ...

Although the magnetic compass of birds has been studied by the research community for a long time, the understanding of how it works is still very incomplete, according to Atticus Pinzón-Rodríguez.