Book review of Nature\'s I.Q. (Evolution)

by David Turell , Friday, September 25, 2009, 05:17 (5336 days ago) @ dhw

Trying to solve another of Nature's IQ, how monarch butterflies migrate:-
Butterfly Navigation- 
CREDIT: MONARCH WATCH
 
 
Monarch butterflies migrate to Mexico from various parts of North America in the fall and navigate with the aid of Sun compass. This navigational mechanism, also employed by migratory birds, uses the circadian clock to compensate for the positional change of the Sun in the sky throughout the day. The mechanism behind time-compensated Sun compass orientation has remained obscure. Merlin et al. (p. 1700; see the Perspective by Kyriacou) now provide comprehensive data showing that the mechanism resides in the antennae of the butterflies, rather than the brain, as previously thought. The "antennal clocks" found in the monarchs probably provide the primary timing mechanism for Sun compass orientation. These findings reveal a further function for the antennae—a function that may extend widely to other insects that use this orientation mechanism. -This is copied from Science blog, which summarizes the current papers in the current edition.