# Animals may have evolved magnetic sense independently of bacteria 2026-08-16T08:35:27+00:00 | World & Diplomacy | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet Recent research has uncovered giant magnetofossils in sediments dating back 56 million years, suggesting that complex organisms, not just bacteria, may have evolved the ability to navigate using Earth's magnetic field. These larger crystals, found in the fossil record, indicate that some ancient organisms biomineralised iron oxide for navigation, said Richard J. Harrison of the University of Cambridge, lead author of the study. While bacteria use a shared genetic mechanism to produce magnetite chains, none of the animals known for magnetoreception, birds, fish, turtles, carry that same gene cluster. "When searching for a genetic relationship, we don't find the same genetic signature," said Arash Komeili of UC Berkeley. This suggests magnetoreception may have evolved independently in complex animals, possibly from ancient archaea that first developed magnetite biomineralisation. The origins of magnetoreception remain elusive, but the ability has been preserved across the animal kingdom for millions of years. ## Coverage - india.mongabay.com This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above. Tags: Arash Komeili, Richard J. Harrison, University of Cambridge Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/animals-may-have-evolved-magnetic-sense-independently-of-bacteria/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/animals-may-have-evolved-magnetic-sense-independently-of-bacteria/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes. How this brief was made: an AI model read the report linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/