Ancient magnetic fossils reveal nature's built-in GPS system
Scientists have recently revealed that 97-million-year-old magnetic fossils acted like nature's original GPS for ancient sea creatures.
Using high-tech 3D X-ray scans, researchers discovered these tiny magnetite structures could sense both the direction and strength of Earth's magnetic field.
How did this natural GPS work?
The special vortex shapes inside the fossils let animals pick up on small changes in Earth's magnetic field—helping them figure out where they were as they traveled long distances across oceans.
This stable setup meant even ancient creatures could navigate with surprising accuracy, way before modern tech existed.
Why does it matter now?
These fossils are direct evidence that animals were using magnetite-based navigation nearly 100 million years ago, showing that advanced "magnetic sense" evolved much earlier than we thought.
It also links those ancient navigation tricks to what birds, fish, and other animals still use today to find their way around the world.