The Amazing Neural Compass of Bat Brains: A New Discovery That Doesn't Rely on the Moon and Stars

On the uninhabited Lazum Island off the coast of East Africa, a team from the Weizmann Institute of Science has recorded the activity of single neurons in Egyptian fruit bats during free flight in the wild for the first time. They reported in the scientific journal Science that head direction cells demonstrated a consistent "global compass" across the entire island, independent of the presence of the moon or stars. Although initially unstable on the first night, the compass stabilized after several nights of learning, suggesting that the bats rely more on the integration of landmarks rather than on magnetic cues. This research holds potential applications for studies on human disorientation, Alzheimer's disease, and robotic navigation.