Natures wonders: Cockroach GPS (Introduction)

by David Turell , Saturday, July 16, 2016, 01:15 (3051 days ago) @ David Turell

Research on them shows they have a sense of direction, and it isguessedthaat most animals have it:-http://www.livescience.com/55410-cockroaches-navigate-with-internal-gps.html?utm_source=listrak&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20160715-ls-"When navigating your kitchen, cockroaches likely don't need to stop for directions. Turns out, the pesky insects have an internal GPS.-"That navigation system, which relies on head direction and contextual cues, is similar to one that's used by rats and even humans, the researchers said.-"The mechanism is likely an example of convergent evolution — when distinct animals develop similar systems independently to manage the same problems, the researchers said.-***-"The cell activity in the roaches' brains signaled the direction they turned, similar to humans, the researchers found.-***-"'The fact we found these cell activities that are very similar to those in mice and rats, and us, strongly indicates insects rely on the same sensory inputs we need to orient ourselves, and their brains process these inputs in a similar manner," Varga said in a statement.-"Tests also included placing a foil cover over the heads of the cockroaches to block any visual clues. Brain activity in the blinded roaches indicated that some brain cells do not need visual cues. When the foil was removed, the cell activity reflected the roaches' heads shifting toward the visual reference point. This suggests that their internal GPS was remapping to include the new visual information, according to the researchers.-"'Each animal has receptors that take in critical information in order to navigate a complex environment," study researcher Roy Ritzmann, a biology professor at Case Western Reserve University, said in the statement.-"Ritzmann predicts that almost all animals have a similarly structured internal GPS, which may have become more specialized and sophisticated in some species over time."-Comment: This is another example of convergence in evolution and that underlying patterns may have been set from the beginning of brain development.