A Device To Give Humans A Literal Sixth Sense – A Sense Of Direction

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A sense of orientation is a useful asset for a living thing. Many creatures appear to tap into the Earth´s magnetic field to locate themselves within, and move around, the planet. Sea turtles, pigeons, dolphins, migrating birds and even dogs—who show a preference for a North-South alignment when they excrete—all seem to be equipped with such a sense.

Some scientists, such as Joseph Kirschvink, a geophysicist at Caltech, suggest that humans also have a sense of the planet’s magnetic field, or magnetoreception, and are researching how it may function. Whether we have (or once had) a natural magnetic sense remains subject to debate. However, Cyborg Nest, a London-based company of transhumanists, is making an artificial one available to us now.

read more at smithsonianmag.com