This is the second of two interviews, to accompany my latest New Scientist feature on how birds sense magnetic fields. Thorsten Ritz was one of two scientists who blew this field of research open in ...

A protein in birds' eyes is sensitive to magnetic fields, which may help explain how they navigate across the planet. Reading time 4 minutes Many birds have a sixth sense. No, not seeing dead people: ...

Migratory birds make epic journeys of thousands of kilometers each year, navigating with the help of Earth’s magnetic field. Yet the mechanism behind the biological compass that enables them to ...

Imagine you are a young Bar-tailed Godwit, a large, leggy shorebird with a long, probing bill hatched on the tundra of Alaska. As the days become shorter and the icy winter looms, you feel the urge to ...