Research: Magnetic fields direct salmon home

A new study published this week in the journal Current Biology by Oregon State University researchers; indicates that migrating salmon utilize the earth's magnetic field to navigate across thousands of miles of open ocean to locate their river of origin before journeying upstream to spawn. “What we think happens is that when salmon leave the river system as juveniles and enter the ocean, they imprint the magnetic field – logging it in as a waypoint,” said Nathan Putman, a post-doctoral researcher at OSU.