Multiple lines of evidence suggest that pigeons sense magnetic fields by detecting electric currents in their inner ears.

Biophysicists in Germany are leading an effort to develop and apply models of the so-called lateral-line system found in fish and some amphibians. This sensory organ enables an animal, even in murky ...

Scientists are learning how the brain knows what’s happening throughout the body, and how that process might go awry in some ...

Scientists show that while neurons play the lead role in detecting sensory information, a second type of cell, the glial cell, pulls the strings behind the scenes. The findings, point to a mechanism ...

Dogs do see color. Naked mole rats are oblivious to pain. The first insects couldn’t hear a thing, instead relying on small organs in their joints to sense things moving around them. I spoke with Yong ...

MAETERLINCK has entitled one of his charming essays ‘The Intelligence of the Flowers.’ It may seem like taking a long step beyond this to attribute mind to the whole plant kingdom. We human beings are ...

OF the five ordinary senses recognised in ourselves and most higher animals, insects have, beyond all doubt, the sense of sight, and there can be as little question that they possess the senses of ...

In today’s busy world, we often forget how incredible the animal kingdom really is. Over millions of years, animals have evolved unique abilities that go far beyond what humans can do. While we rely ...

If you enjoyed this article, I’d like to ask for your support. Scientific American has served as an advocate for science and industry for 180 years, and right now may be the most critical moment in ...

Animals have developed extraordinary senses that allow them to master their environments in ways that seem almost otherworldly. These superpowered abilities, far surpassing human limitations, help ...