Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Concept Videos

Magnetic Fields01:27

Magnetic Fields

8.0K
A moving charge or a current creates a magnetic field in the surrounding space, in addition to its electric field. The magnetic field exerts a force on any other moving charge or current that is present in the field. Like an electric field, the magnetic field is also a vector field. At any position, the direction of the magnetic field is defined as the direction in which the north pole of a compass needle points.
A magnetic field is defined by the force that a charged particle experiences...
8.0K
Other Unique Bacteria01:18

Other Unique Bacteria

557
Magnetic bacteria exhibit a directed movement called magnetotaxis, driven by structures called magnetosomes. These magnetosomes consist of chains of magnetic particles made of either magnetite (Fe₃O₄) or greigite (Fe₃S₄) and are organized in a linear conformation by a protein scaffold within invaginations of the cell membrane. The bacteria align along the north–south magnetic field lines, much like a compass needle. They are typically microaerophilic or anaerobic...
557
Atomic Nuclei: Magnetic Resonance01:05

Atomic Nuclei: Magnetic Resonance

1.4K
The number of nuclear spins aligned in the lower energy state is slightly greater than those in the higher energy state. In the presence of an external magnetic field, as the spins precess at the Larmor frequency, the excess population results in a net magnetization oriented along the z axis. When a pulse or a short burst of radio waves at the Larmor frequency is applied along the x axis, the coupling of frequencies causes resonance and flips the nuclear spins of the excess population from the...
1.4K
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Relaxation Processes01:23

Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Relaxation Processes

1.4K
In the absence of an external magnetic field, nuclear spin states are degenerate and randomly oriented. When a magnetic field is applied, the spins begin to precess and orient themselves along (lower energy) or against (higher energy) the direction of the field. At equilibrium, a slight excess population of spins exists in the lower energy state. Because the direction of the magnetic field is fixed as the z-axis,  the precessing magnetic moments are randomly oriented around the z-axis.
1.4K
Diamagnetic Shielding of Nuclei: Local Diamagnetic Current01:14

Diamagnetic Shielding of Nuclei: Local Diamagnetic Current

1.6K
An applied magnetic field causes the electrons present in the molecule to circulate, setting up a local diamagnetic current within the molecule. The local diamagnetic current arising from circulating sigma-bonding electrons induces a magnetic field, Blocal that opposes the applied magnetic field, B0. The effective magnetic field experienced by these nuclei is given by the difference between the applied and local magnetic fields in a phenomenon called local diamagnetic shielding. Essentially,...
1.6K
Magnetic Force01:18

Magnetic Force

2.5K
In addition to the electric forces between electric charges, moving electric charges exert magnetic forces on each other. A magnetic field is created by a moving charge or a group of moving charges known as the electric current. A magnetic force is experienced by a second current or moving charge in response to this magnetic field. Fundamentally, interactions between moving electrons in the atoms of two bodies produce magnetic forces between them.
The magnetic force acting on a moving charge...
2.5K

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Geographic and genetic factors shape acoustic divergence and dialect-like variation in communication calls in the greater horseshoe bats.

Zoological research·2026
Same author

Separating overlapping bat calls with a bi-directional long short-term memory network.

Integrative zoology·2021
Same author

Comparing context-dependent call sequences employing machine learning methods: an indication of syntactic structure of greater horseshoe bats.

The Journal of experimental biology·2019
Same author

A magnetic compass guides the direction of foraging in a bat.

Journal of comparative physiology. A, Neuroethology, sensory, neural, and behavioral physiology·2019
Same author

Bats adjust temporal parameters of echolocation pulses but not those of communication calls in response to traffic noise.

Integrative zoology·2019
Same author

Social vocalizations of big-footed myotis (Myotis macrodactylus) during foraging.

Integrative zoology·2018

Related Experiment Video

Updated: Apr 13, 2026

Assessing the Influence of Personality on Sensitivity to Magnetic Fields in Zebrafish
07:47

Assessing the Influence of Personality on Sensitivity to Magnetic Fields in Zebrafish

Published on: March 18, 2019

7.2K

Bats respond to very weak magnetic fields.

Lan-Xiang Tian1, Yong-Xin Pan1, Walter Metzner2

  • 1Biogeomagnetism Group, PGL, Key Laboratory of Earth and Planetary Physics, Institute of Geology and Geophysics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China; France-China Bio-Mineralization and Nano-Structures Laboratory, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.

Plos One
|April 30, 2015
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Chinese Noctule bats can sense magnetic field direction even at low intensities, similar to those during Earth's magnetic field reversals. This magnetic sense may have evolved due to these variations.

More Related Videos

A Magnetic Tether System to Investigate Visual and Olfactory Mediated Flight Control in Drosophila
09:27

A Magnetic Tether System to Investigate Visual and Olfactory Mediated Flight Control in Drosophila

Published on: November 21, 2008

11.9K
Measuring the Influence of Magnetic Vestibular Stimulation on Nystagmus, Self-Motion Perception, and Cognitive Performance in a 7T MRT
08:57

Measuring the Influence of Magnetic Vestibular Stimulation on Nystagmus, Self-Motion Perception, and Cognitive Performance in a 7T MRT

Published on: March 3, 2023

2.5K

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: Apr 13, 2026

Assessing the Influence of Personality on Sensitivity to Magnetic Fields in Zebrafish
07:47

Assessing the Influence of Personality on Sensitivity to Magnetic Fields in Zebrafish

Published on: March 18, 2019

7.2K
A Magnetic Tether System to Investigate Visual and Olfactory Mediated Flight Control in Drosophila
09:27

A Magnetic Tether System to Investigate Visual and Olfactory Mediated Flight Control in Drosophila

Published on: November 21, 2008

11.9K
Measuring the Influence of Magnetic Vestibular Stimulation on Nystagmus, Self-Motion Perception, and Cognitive Performance in a 7T MRT
08:57

Measuring the Influence of Magnetic Vestibular Stimulation on Nystagmus, Self-Motion Perception, and Cognitive Performance in a 7T MRT

Published on: March 3, 2023

2.5K

Area of Science:

  • Zoology
  • Geophysics
  • Animal Behavior

Background:

  • The ability of mammals to use Earth's magnetic field for navigation is debated.
  • Understanding magnetic sense evolution is crucial, especially considering past geomagnetic field fluctuations.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if the Chinese Noctule bat (Nyctalus plancyi) can detect weak magnetic field strengths.
  • To determine if bats can sense magnetic field direction during reduced intensity and polarity reversals.

Main Methods:

  • Experimental testing of bat orientation preferences in controlled magnetic fields.
  • Varying magnetic field intensity down to 10 μT (1/5th natural intensity).
  • Reversing magnetic field polarity to assess directional sensing.

Main Results:

  • Bats consistently preferred magnetic north in a present-day field.
  • Orientation towards magnetic north persisted even at 1/5th natural field intensity (10 μT).
  • Bats oriented to the new magnetic north when polarity was reversed, even at 10 μT.

Conclusions:

  • Nyctalus plancyi exhibits high sensitivity to magnetic field direction, detecting fields significantly weaker than the present-day geomagnetic field.
  • This sensitivity supports the hypothesis that magnetic orientation could evolve in bats despite variations in Earth's magnetic field strength and polarity.
  • The findings provide insights into the evolutionary pressures shaping magnetic senses in nocturnal flying mammals.