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On nearly every morning's dogwalk, I think the 2014 Ig Nobel BIOLOGY PRIZE is bunk. > for carefully documenting that when dogs defecate and urinate, they prefe

by Cactus2018 6y ago

On nearly every morning's dogwalk, I think the 2014 Ig Nobel BIOLOGY PRIZE is bunk. > for carefully documenting that when dogs defecate and urinate, they prefer to align their body axis with Earth’s north-south geomagnetic field lines. And that this study must be flawed, because my dog (n=1) does not align. Maybe the research study area was a city with a strong North-South https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grid_plan https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grid_plan

gostsamo 6y ago
Magnetic fields are not uniform at every spot. Plus, the alignment of the dog was conditional on availability if I remember correctly, meaning that if it is on a leash, it is not feeling comfortable to align.
aaron695 6y ago
We have no idea if mammals can sense magnetic fields. Maybe bats. And maybe many mammals including dogs and humans. But we don't actually know. Which makes me sad. It should not be hard to do properly. Harder than looking at dog poop, but possible. None of the studies done have been done properly. Many have been disproven.
- _jahh 6y ago
  However, because of the descriptive nature of this study, alternative explanations (e.g., the sun compass) could not be excluded. In a follow-up study, researchers analyzed body orientations of ruminants in localities where the geomagnetic field is disturbed by high-voltage power lines to determine how local variation in magnetic fields may affect orientation behaviour. This was done by using satellite and aerial images of herds of cattle and field observations of grazing roe deer. Body orientation of both species was random on pastures under or near power lines. Moreover, cattle exposed to various magnetic fields directly beneath or in the vicinity of power lines trending in various magnetic directions exhibited distinct patterns of alignment. The disturbing effect of the power lines on body alignment diminished with the distance from the conductors.[76]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetoreception#In_animals https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetoreception#In_animals
  - aaron695 6y ago
    Exactly like I said, fake - No alignment of cattle along geomagnetic field lines found https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00359-011-0628-7 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00359-011-0628-7 I'm not sure what to think about Ig Nobel Prize's. They do promote science as fun and lateral thinking. But their science is often a little slim and it's almost poking fun. But that might be a factor of too many scientists not thinking laterally which is why you might need the Ig Nobel Prize.
sasaf5 6y ago
Ah~~ so that's why dogs walk many tight circles before defecating? They are finding north? :)
- dtech 6y ago
  That's to survey the surrounding area for dangers
  - sasaf5 6y ago
    Makes sense, they also do that before sleeping.
rkagerer 6y ago
Ticket closed. Dog performs according to spec. Dropped packets indicate geomagnetic flux anomalies in local area network. User advised to replace faulty ley lines.

gostsamo 6y ago

Magnetic fields are not uniform at every spot. Plus, the alignment of the dog was conditional on availability if I remember correctly, meaning that if it is on a leash, it is not feeling comfortable to align.

aaron695 6y ago

We have no idea if mammals can sense magnetic fields. Maybe bats. And maybe many mammals including dogs and humans. But we don't actually know. Which makes me sad. It should not be hard to do properly. Harder than looking at dog poop, but possible. None of the studies done have been done properly. Many have been disproven.

_jahh 6y ago
However, because of the descriptive nature of this study, alternative explanations (e.g., the sun compass) could not be excluded. In a follow-up study, researchers analyzed body orientations of ruminants in localities where the geomagnetic field is disturbed by high-voltage power lines to determine how local variation in magnetic fields may affect orientation behaviour. This was done by using satellite and aerial images of herds of cattle and field observations of grazing roe deer. Body orientation of both species was random on pastures under or near power lines. Moreover, cattle exposed to various magnetic fields directly beneath or in the vicinity of power lines trending in various magnetic directions exhibited distinct patterns of alignment. The disturbing effect of the power lines on body alignment diminished with the distance from the conductors.[76]https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetoreception#In_animals https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Magnetoreception#In_animals
- aaron695 6y ago
  Exactly like I said, fake - No alignment of cattle along geomagnetic field lines found https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00359-011-0628-7 https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s00359-011-0628-7 I'm not sure what to think about Ig Nobel Prize's. They do promote science as fun and lateral thinking. But their science is often a little slim and it's almost poking fun. But that might be a factor of too many scientists not thinking laterally which is why you might need the Ig Nobel Prize.

sasaf5 6y ago

Ah~~ so that's why dogs walk many tight circles before defecating? They are finding north? :)

dtech 6y ago
That's to survey the surrounding area for dangers
- sasaf5 6y ago
  Makes sense, they also do that before sleeping.

rkagerer 6y ago

Ticket closed. Dog performs according to spec. Dropped packets indicate geomagnetic flux anomalies in local area network. User advised to replace faulty ley lines.