Many animals can perceive the Earth’s magnetic field, but corresponding sensory cells haven’t been located yet. Using sophisticated experiments and technology, several research groups are hot on the trail of this mysterious sense.

Migratory species are particularly vulnerable to the effects of climate change, habitat loss and environmental pollution. Several research groups are joining forces to gain new insights into the behaviour of migratory birds.

In this interview, biologists Henrik Mouritsen and Miriam Liedvogel explain the importance of animal navigation and orientation for nature conservation – as well as for quantum technologies and autonomous vehicles.

The university recently acquired a particularly powerful electron microscope, which is also available to external users. It is capable of imaging structures as small as 0.5 billionths of a meter.

The magnetic sense of migratory birds is probably based on a special protein – this theory is supported by a new genetic study. A research team from the University of Oldenburg and the Institute of Avian Research found that the protein has been optimised through rapid selection.

Biologist Pauline Fleischmann researches desert ants and astonishing navigational abilities – both in the laboratory and in their natural environment. The insects are surprisingly good at orientating themselves in monotonous terrain.

Pipistrelle bats have a magnetic compass and calibrate it at sunset, according to a new study published in the journal Biology Letters. The research shows that these animals, like birds, are sensitive to magnetic inclination.

Researchers from Oldenburg and Bremen investigated the effect of environmental factors on genetically different varieties of kale.

Many songbirds use the earth's magnetic field as a guide during their migrations, but radiowaves interfere with this ability. A new study has found an upper bound for the frequencies that disrupt the magnetic compass.

With an unusual and interdisciplinary exhibition, the Institute of Material Culture and the Institute of Biology and Environmental Sciences are making common cause - and drawing attention to a hidden treasure of the university.

The metabolism of a key environmental microbe has been elucidated in detail by a team led by microbiologist Ralf Rabus. This holistic understanding allows to reliably predict the growth of the microbes.

The Collaborative Research Center "Magnetoreception and Navigation in Vertebrates” is going into its second phase: The German Research Foundation has granted the project funding for another four years.

Many animals use the Earth's magnetic field for orientation. But exactly how they do this remains for the most part a mystery. In the Collaborative Research Centre "Magnetoreception and Navigation in Vertebrates", researchers are solving the puzzle.

Fish migrations generally take place hidden from view. Researchers from the Magnetoreception Collaborative Research Centre at the University of Oldenburg are investigating how herring, sticklebacks and coral fish find their way in the sea.

A new study published in Science Magazine has shed light on how birds navigate back to their breeding site after flying across two continents. Magnetic information seems to play a key role.

Modern equipment, patience and perseverance are often essential for new discoveries to be made. Early-career researcher Anja Günther has taken on this challenge.

New findings on magnetic sensing in birds are presented by an international team of researchers led by Oldenburg biologist Henrik Mouritsen. The results are published in the journal Nature.

What is stronger? The branches of trees in tropical rainforests or the roots of the plants that grow on them? To find out, biologists Helena Einzmann and Jessica Tay conducted experiments in the University's wind tunnel.

Can insects and other stream inhabitants be relocated from an ecologically intact body of water to a species-poor stream in order to improve the ecological quality there? Biologist Ellen Kiel and her team are investigating this.