Disorientation is something we all experience at one point and is believed to be caused by a temporary malfunctioning of the brain area which controls our internal compass, however new research shows that bats do not suffer from this problem and have a neural navigation system which operates in three dimensions allowing the bat to orient themselves quickly in the dark.
A team of scientists from Weizmann university recorded brain activity of Egyptian fruit bats (Rousettus aegyptiacus) by using micro electrodes implanted onto the brain; alongside video monitoring technology to monitor angles of head rotation which was then corresponded to the data received from the micro electrodes.
This led them to discover that certain neurons (Nerve cells that carry information via electrical impulses to and from the brain) always know which way the bats head was directed, tracking it by using three dimensions by responding to vertical and horizontal orientation. They discovered that there are three neuron cells in particular that were used for this purpose; place and grid cells worked similar to a GPS allowing for tracking position whilst, head direction cells respond when the head is pointed in a specific direction acting like a compass.
We are used to a globular navigation system with latitude and longitude lines but bats navigation techniques differ from this by having a doughnut shaped co-ordinate system, allowing them to differentiate if they are upside down or not and stay orientated even when inverted.
Another team of scientists studying bat navigation, made a interesting discovery about Old world fruit bats which were believed to lack echolocation however, it was found that they produce a series of clicks via their wing flaps and may provide a insight into how echolocation first evolved.
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