Even in darkness, many animals retain a sense of orientation because their nervous system sustains a memory of heading ...

Since their discovery in the 1990s, the head-direction cells in the brain have been referred to as its "internal compass." These cells are activated when the head of an animal or human points in a ...

Landmarks like a church steeple or a yellow house on the corner play an important role in the ability to navigate. But so does an internal compass, thought to be supported by specialized neurons in ...

New details about how the brain senses orientation might lead to earlier Alzheimer’s detection. A specialized group of brain cells called head direction (HD) cells, serve as the brain’s internal ...

Scientists have gained new insights into the part of the brain that gives us a sense of direction, by tracking neural activity with the latest advances in brain imaging techniques. The findings shed ...

They may not be on most people's list of most attractive species, but bats definitely have animal magnetism. Researchers have discovered that bats use a magnetic substance in their body called ...

Human navigation turns out to be less like following a static map and more like tuning a control knob inside the brain. New imaging work suggests that deep in the hippocampus, a seahorse-shaped ...

Scientists have shown why fruit flies don’t get lost. Their brains contain cells that act like a compass, marking the direction of flight. It may seem like a small matter, but all animals — even ...