# Humans may be capable of detecting Earth's magnetic field **URL:** \ **Category:** Professional Mariner Forum\ **Created:** [October 8, 2021, 11:04am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/humans-may-be-capable-of-detecting-earths-magnetic-field/60892 "2021-10-08T11:04:40Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Kennebec\_Captain](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/kennebec_captain/32/13_2.png) [@Kennebec\_Captain](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Kennebec_Captain)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2021, 11:04am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/humans-may-be-capable-of-detecting-earths-magnetic-field/60892/1 "2021-10-08T11:04:40Z")
> **[Birds’ Magnificent ‘Quantum Sense’ Allows them to See the World’s Magnetic Field](https://www.natureworldnews.com/articles/47752/20211007/birds-quantum-sense-world-s-magnetic-field.htm)** > > Birds' eyes are considered to include chemicals that sense the Earth's magnetic field. German researchers discovered that these chemicals are related to a part of the brain that processes visual information in a recent study. From the article: > Even though most of us are unable to sense magnetic fields, human cells do possess cryptochromes. And there’s evidence that humans are still capable of detecting Earth’s magnetic, even if they are not aware of it. Quantum sense? Evidently the world is not what it appears to be. ---
**Author:** ![yacht\_sailor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ed655f/32.png) [@yacht\_sailor](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/yacht_sailor)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2021, 12:01pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/humans-may-be-capable-of-detecting-earths-magnetic-field/60892/2 "2021-10-08T12:01:51Z")
What I read some time ago is that some birds have cells in their retinas that respond to magnetic fields, so the drawings you see with lines to illustrate magnetic fields is what they actually can see, so it is obvious which way is north to them. Thanks to modern genetic engineering it may be possible to do that for humans, but it might be really annoying if it is on 24/7/365. ---
**Author:** ![Kennebec\_Captain](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/kennebec_captain/32/13_2.png) [@Kennebec\_Captain](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Kennebec_Captain)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2021, 12:18pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/humans-may-be-capable-of-detecting-earths-magnetic-field/60892/4 "2021-10-08T12:18:56Z")
Could be an issue. Be prudent to swing your compass and update your compass deviation card after getting a shot. ---
**Author:** ![Steamer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Steamer](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Steamer)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2021, 12:39pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/humans-may-be-capable-of-detecting-earths-magnetic-field/60892/5 "2021-10-08T12:39:24Z")
H’mmm, that might explain the “snowbird” phenomenon that motivates all those northerners to head south in the winter. ---
**Author:** ![Lee\_Shore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Lee\_Shore](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Lee_Shore)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2021, 1:49pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/humans-may-be-capable-of-detecting-earths-magnetic-field/60892/6 "2021-10-08T13:49:49Z")
I once read an article recommending that for best health it’s best to sleep with one’s head pointing north so the body is aligned with the earth’s magnetic field. But then there’s this: > **[Which Direction is Best to Sleep in? | Sleep Foundation](https://www.sleepfoundation.org/sleeping-positions/best-direction-to-sleep)** > > What is the best direction to sleep in? Find out here, and get more tips for better sleep from the ancient practices of feng shui and vastu shastra. ---
**Author:** ![ombugge](https://sea2.discourse-cdn.com/flex016/user_avatar/forum.gcaptain.com/ombugge/32/11217_2.png) [@ombugge](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/ombugge)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2021, 1:54pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/humans-may-be-capable-of-detecting-earths-magnetic-field/60892/7 "2021-10-08T13:54:19Z")
Hard to follow on a ship. Better to stick to choosing between for and aft, or athwartships bunks. ---
**Author:** ![Lee\_Shore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Lee\_Shore](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Lee_Shore)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2021, 2:07pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/humans-may-be-capable-of-detecting-earths-magnetic-field/60892/8 "2021-10-08T14:07:11Z")
> [@ombugge](#): > > Hard to follow on a ship. Thank you for that astute observation, Captain Obvious. 😉 > [@ombugge](#): > > Better to stick to choosing between for and aft Racks are usually lined up fore and aft but in a heavy side swell I prefer to sleep on a couch if there is one aligned athwartship. ---
**Author:** ![MAK](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/dc4da7/32.png) [@MAK](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/MAK)\ **Post date:** [October 8, 2021, 3:09pm UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/humans-may-be-capable-of-detecting-earths-magnetic-field/60892/9 "2021-10-08T15:09:48Z")
Nah, you’ll get shit on by birds. Follow the science. ---
**Author:** ![powerabout](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/43a26b/32.png) [@powerabout](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/powerabout)\ **Post date:** [October 9, 2021, 1:11am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/humans-may-be-capable-of-detecting-earths-magnetic-field/60892/10 "2021-10-09T01:11:14Z")
There is a throne in one of the Saudi Royal families Jumbos that is hooked up to the gyro so it always faces mecca ---
**Author:** ![Sand\_Pebble](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c2a13f/32.png) [@Sand\_Pebble](https://forum.gcaptain.com/u/Sand_Pebble)\ **Post date:** [October 10, 2021, 3:14am UTC](https://forum.gcaptain.com/t/humans-may-be-capable-of-detecting-earths-magnetic-field/60892/11 "2021-10-10T03:14:08Z")
Road tripping with the fam today & brought up the article about how birds can see the Earth’s magnetic field because of a liquid in their eyes with a fellow nerd, my 12 yr old son. His first reply was to ask if that is why birds sit on power lines instead of the trees that are readily available? Of course I don’t know but it got us into a 20 minute conversation about all types of possibilities like do they see other magnetic fields from large metal structures? Big metal ships in the middle of oceans? Do they pay particular attention to power plants & mountains with heavy metallic ore deposits? Are they affected by solar flares or movement of the metallic magma under Earth’s crust? But what got me the most curious is an article I read recently about another unexplained massive bird kill where birds fell out of the sky with swollen eyes for no known reasons at all. Maybe its magna or solar activity causing the “compass liquid” in their sensitive eyes to go haywire? Any thoughts? From the linked article below: “The ophthalmic symptoms can be surprisingly swollen eyes, eyes that jut out of the head a little bit. They can be crusty eyes; they can be blindness. The neurological symptoms can be things such as a shaking head, an inability to stand, involuntary muscle spasms in general. [They] can be depression or lethargy. When you observe one of these birds with this neurological set of symptoms, it’s fairly obvious, because they’re simply unresponsive.” * * * > **[Suspect List Narrows in Mysterious Bird Die-Off](https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/suspect-list-narrows-in-mysterious-bird-die-off/#)** > > Here’s how researchers are zeroing in on the culprit