Sea Turtle Offers Safety Lessons in Navigation

Function

Florida sea turtles seasonally migrate through the North Atlantic, swim around the European coastal waters for a few months, and then return home to Florida. While in transit, they are somehow able to navigate around any dangerous currents lying in their path. Some other animals, like dogs, are also famous for their homing abilities; salmon are well known for their ability return to the exact river of their birth for procreation after spending their whole lives at sea. A British academic journal has published results of an experiment showing that sea turtles react to magnetic fields in order to change direction when migrating. However, the mystery of how they are able to avoid areas with dangerous currents is yet to be solved.

Functional Classification

Resouce/Energy/Information Collection & Storage:
Location detection
Transfer/Dispose/Circulate:
Movement

Environmental Solution Classification

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Technical Application

Products and Services

Type of Business

Proposals of Applied Technology

A better understanding of how sea turtles navigate could inspire a new navigation system that is better able to ensure safe and consistent delivery of cargo and passengers on boats and aircraft.

Proposals of Applied Industry

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