How do pigeons find their way home? Detailed answer

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How do pigeons find their way home? Detailed answer

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How do pigeons find their way home?

One of the most remarkable natural phenomena is the ability of some birds to fly great distances and find their "home" or other destination.

Did you know that carrier pigeons were used by the ancient Romans to carry letters as far back as 2000 years ago? And even now, when modern armies have all sorts of wonderful communication equipment, carrier pigeons are still being trained for use in situations where no other means of communication can be used! Many scientists have studied this amazing ability of birds, but still have not received an exhaustive answer.

One of the most common theories is that pigeons navigate by the sun. As you know, during the day the sun is at different angles with respect to the earth's surface: low - in the morning, high - at noon, and in the evening - again low. And some scientists believe that the dove is able to distinguish the position of the sun in the sky and, based on this, determine the direction of its flight. It may seem almost unbelievable, but so far no one has been able to offer a better explanation. Not all birds and not even all pigeons are capable of this.

There are 289 varieties of pigeons, between which there are significant differences. Some types of pigeons prefer to live and travel alone, others can only be found in flocks. Some of them find their own food and live right on the ground. But most species live in wooded areas and build their nests on tree branches.

Author: Likum A.

Random interesting fact from the Great Encyclopedia:

How does the brain communicate its commands to the body?

The brain can, in a matter of seconds, receive signals from various organs of the body, process them and send commands to these organs to perform one or another action. Different parts of the brain are responsible for different functions of the body. The medulla, the upper portion of the spinal cord, controls nerves associated with many muscles and endocrine glands. This is a very important center responsible for the contraction of the heart, which distills blood, the work of the lungs, which processes the air we breathe, and the work of the stomach, which digests our food.

The cerebellum controls body movement and coordination. The large hemispheres of the brain are responsible for thought processes, assimilation of the new, remembering the already known, awareness of phenomena, decision-making. It is also the center of sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch. There is also a zone of feelings.

Scientists still cannot answer many questions about how the brain works. But they found that the signals that go to and from the brain are weak electrical discharges. Nerves are made up of nerve cells. Each of them consists of a body and thread-like processes emerging from it. Signals go from cell to cell along these processes.

Billions of nerve cells form an extensive network in a person connected with the spinal cord. Nerve fibers meet on their way to the spinal cord and intertwine into bundles. A thick bundle of this kind leads through the spine to the brain. Some of these nerves transmit messages from the sense organs to the brain, while the other part transmits commands from the brain to the muscles and endocrine glands. The brain sorts the signals it receives and, having made the appropriate conclusions, sends the signals in the right direction.

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Microsoft will decipher the human immune system 13.01.2018

Microsoft, together with the startup Adaptive Biotechnologies, will create a detailed "map" of the human immune system, which will allow reading any pathological changes in the body. To do this, the companies will apply advanced developments in the field of genome sequencing, machine intelligence and biotechnology. It is assumed that deciphering the immune system will help doctors make diagnoses with maximum accuracy.

Microsoft announced on its blog that it has entered into a partnership with the American startup Adaptive Biotechnologies, which is engaged in genome sequencing and bioinformatics, Hitech reports. Together, the companies will work on a detailed map of the human immune system. "The state of the immune system tells about almost all the factors that affect human health. It may seem like science fiction, but what if we considered all this data?" writes Peter Lee, blogger and Vice President of Research and Artificial Intelligence at Microsoft.

Experts from companies have already begun developing technology that will help decipher the human immune system. To do this, Microsoft and Adaptive plan to use genome sequencing and machine learning. The patient will take blood tests, and then they will carry out his "immunosequencing". Every immune cell that contains potential diagnostic information will be examined.

The data will then be run through an algorithm that will determine the link between the trillions of T cells in the human body and their associated diseases. The resulting "map" will be given to scientists and doctors.

The main goal of Microsoft and Adaptive will be the creation of a universal blood test that will help identify all pathologies at an early stage, including autoimmune diseases, cancer and various infections. The test not only diagnoses diseases, but also helps to find out how the human body reacts to pathogens and medicines.

The "x-ray" of the immune system will not only show what diseases the body is fighting, but also what it has fought in the past - all this data is "recorded" in immune cells. The companies hope that this approach will help to better understand what affects human health, as well as allow for more accurate treatment.

Managing immune cells already makes it possible to diagnose diseases and even control the development of some diseases. So, in August, scientists from the Gladstone Institute (USA) developed a method for reprogramming T-cells, which made it possible to turn inflammation-causing cells into anti-inflammatory ones.

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