{"id":676733,"date":"2025-06-22T17:41:16","date_gmt":"2025-06-22T14:41:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/moth-uses-stars-to-navigate-long-distances-scientists-discover\/"},"modified":"2025-06-22T17:41:16","modified_gmt":"2025-06-22T14:41:16","slug":"moth-uses-stars-to-navigate-long-distances-scientists-discover","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/moth-uses-stars-to-navigate-long-distances-scientists-discover\/","title":{"rendered":"Moth uses stars to navigate long distances, scientists discover"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_85 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a36e9b505b16\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #dd3333;color:#dd3333\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6a36e9b505b16\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/moth-uses-stars-to-navigate-long-distances-scientists-discover\/#%E2%80%98Flight_simulator\" >&#8216;Flight simulator&#8217;<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/moth-uses-stars-to-navigate-long-distances-scientists-discover\/#Mysteries_abound\" >Mysteries abound<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<div>\n<div class=\"article-gallery lightGallery\">\n<div data-thumb=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/tmb\/2025\/bogong-moths-are-named.jpg\" data-src=\"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2025\/bogong-moths-are-named.jpg\" data-sub-html=\"Bogong moths are named after the Indigenous Australian word for brown.\">\n<figure class=\"article-img\">\n            <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/scx1.b-cdn.net\/csz\/news\/800a\/2025\/bogong-moths-are-named.jpg\" alt=\"Bogong moths are named after the Indigenous Australian word for brown\" title=\"Bogong moths are named after the Indigenous Australian word for brown.\" width=\"800\" height=\"529\"\/><figcaption class=\"text-darken text-low-up text-truncate-js text-truncate mt-3\">\n                Bogong moths are named after the Indigenous Australian word for brown.<br \/>\n            <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>A species of Australian moth <a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/trip-and-travel\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"10\" title=\"Trip &amp; Travel\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">travel<\/a>s up to a thousand kilometers every summer using the stars to navigate, scientists said Wednesday, the first time this talent has been discovered in an invertebrate covering vast distances.<\/p>\n<p>When temperatures start rising every year, Bogong moths embark on the long night-time flight from their home on the country&#8217;s eastern coast to the cool inland shelter of caves in the Australian Alps.<\/p>\n<p>It has recently been discovered that they can use Earth&#8217;s magnetic field like a compass to stay on track during their trip of up to 1,000 kilometers (620 miles).<\/p>\n<p>Now, a study published in the journal <i>Nature<\/i> has found that the moths can also use the light from the stars and the Milky Way to find their way through the dark.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;This is the first invertebrate that&#8217;s known to be able to use the stars for that purpose,&#8221; study co-author Eric Warrant of Sweden&#8217;s Lund University told AFP.<\/p>\n<p>The only other invertebrate known to use stars for orientation are dung beetles\u2014but that is over very short distances, Warrant said.<\/p>\n<p>Out of all the animal kingdom, only some birds, possibly seals and of course humans can use starlight to navigate long distance.<\/p>\n<p>Bogong moths, which are around three centimeters long and are named after the Indigenous Australian word for brown, now join that list.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"%E2%80%98Flight_simulator\"><\/span>&#8216;Flight simulator&#8217;<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>To study this phenomenon, the international team of researchers put some Bogong moths in a small enclosure and projected different maps of the night sky onto its ceiling.<\/p>\n<p>The moth was tethered to a rod connected to the top of the enclosure, which precisely recorded which directions it tried to fly in.<\/p>\n<p>This &#8220;flight simulator&#8221; first confirmed that Bogong moths can in fact navigate using their internal magnetic compass, lead study author David Dreyer, also of Lund University, told AFP.<\/p>\n<p>Then the researchers removed the effect of Earth&#8217;s magnetic field in the enclosure.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;To our surprise,&#8221; the moths were still able to find the right direction, Dreyer said.<\/p>\n<p>When they rotated the sky 180 degrees, the moths changed their flight to follow along.<\/p>\n<p>And when the researchers projected weird, incorrect maps of the night sky, the moths became erratic and lost.<\/p>\n<p>This reinforced that the insects can not only navigate by the sky, but can follow along during the night when the relative positions of the stars shift along with Earth&#8217;s rotation.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Mysteries_abound\"><\/span>Mysteries abound<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p>No one knows exactly how the Bogong moth manages this feat.<\/p>\n<p>One theory is that they sometimes &#8220;cross-check&#8221; their direction with their magnetic compass, Dreyer said.<\/p>\n<p>Another question is exactly which stars the moths are using to navigate.<\/p>\n<p>In the lab, the researchers monitored 30 neurons involved in the moth&#8217;s vision, coordination and navigation.<\/p>\n<p>Developing the system of non-magnetic electrodes &#8220;cost me a fortune but it was worth the investment,&#8221; Warrant said.<\/p>\n<p>The neurons became particularly active at the sight of the long, bright stripe of the Milky Way, as well as the Carina Nebula.<\/p>\n<p>The Milky Way is brighter in the Southern Hemisphere than in the north, Warrant pointed out.<\/p>\n<p>&#8220;The intensity of that stripe grows as you go from the northern part of the sky to the southern part,&#8221; which could offer a clue as to how the moths use it to navigate south, Warrant said.<\/p>\n<p>Another mystery is how the moths know when to head south when summer arrives.<\/p>\n<p>Warrant, who is supervising further research on this subject, said one option is that this knowledge was simply &#8220;something that the parents hand to their children&#8221;.<\/p>\n<p>The researchers believe that near the end of the moth&#8217;s long migration, they start noticing clues they are getting close to their mountain refuge.<\/p>\n<p>Warrant said he has identified a specific &#8220;odor compound&#8221; which emanates from the caves.<\/p>\n<p>This smell &#8220;seems to act as a navigational beacon right at the very end of the journey,&#8221; he added.<\/p>\n<p>After the moths have seen out the sweltering summer, they return to their coastal birthplace to reproduce before dying.<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-main__more p-4\">\n<p><strong>More information:<\/strong><br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tEric Warrant &amp; David Dreyer, Bogong moths use a stellar compass for long-distance navigation at night, <i>Nature<\/i> (2025). <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" data-doi=\"1\" href=\"https:\/\/dx.doi.org\/10.1038\/s41586-025-09135-3\" target=\"_blank\">DOI: 10.1038\/s41586-025-09135-3<\/a>. <a rel=\"nofollow\" target=\"_blank\" href=\"https:\/\/www.nature.com\/articles\/s41586-025-09135-3\" target=\"_blank\">www.nature.com\/articles\/s41586-025-09135-3<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"article-main__note mt-4\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t  \u00a9 2025 AFP\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n<p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<!-- print only --><\/p>\n<div class=\"d-none d-print-block\">\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<strong>Citation<\/strong>:<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMoth uses stars to navigate long distances, scientists discover (2025, June 22)<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tretrieved 22 June 2025<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tfrom https:\/\/phys.org\/<a href=\"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/category\/news\/\" data-internallinksmanager029f6b8e52c=\"2\" title=\"News\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">news<\/a>\/2025-06-moth-stars-distances-scientists.html\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n<p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t This document is subject to copyright. Apart from any fair dealing for the purpose of private study or research, no<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t part may be reproduced without the written permission. The content is provided for information purposes only.\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t <\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script id=\"facebook-jssdk\" async=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/connect.facebook.net\/en_US\/sdk.js\"><\/script><\/p>\n<blockquote><p><strong><span style=\"color: #ff6600;\">If you liked the article, do not forget to share it with your friends. Follow us on\u00a0<span style=\"color: #ff0000;\"><a style=\"color: #ff0000;\" href=\"https:\/\/news.google.com\/publications\/CAAqBwgKMN63nwsw68G3Aw\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener noreferrer\">Google News<\/a><\/span>\u00a0too, click on the star and choose us from your favorites.<\/span><\/strong><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<blockquote>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><strong>If you want to read more Like this articles, you can visit our <span style=\"color: #ff9900;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/en.buradabiliyorum.com\/category\/sciencee\/\" target=\"_blank\" >Science category.<\/a><\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><span style=\"color: black;\"><a style=\"color: #ff9900;\" href=\"https:\/\/phys.org\/news\/2025-06-moth-stars-distances-scientists.html\" target=\"_blank\" >Source<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Bogong moths are named after the Indigenous Australian word for brown. A species of Australian moth travels up to a thousand kilometers every summer using the stars to navigate, scientists said Wednesday, the first time this talent has been discovered in an invertebrate covering vast distances. When temperatures start rising every year, Bogong moths embark&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":676734,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/scx2.b-cdn.net\/gfx\/news\/hires\/2025\/bogong-moths-are-named.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-676733","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-sciencee"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/676733","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=676733"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/676733\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/676734"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=676733"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=676733"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/buradabiliyorum.com\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=676733"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}