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Quite interesting, to myself magnetic fields wouldn't seem all that accurate but then again it's known some animals can navigate back to the same spot each yearly nesting / migration. It did seem maybe as per the article and [1] [2] the concept was just a little bit too good to be true but [3] being military supports that they've been working towards an additional perhaps more accurate system.

[1] https://arxiv.org/abs/2504.08167 [Submitted on 10 Apr 2025 - Quantum-assured magnetic navigation achieves positioning accuracy better than a strategic-grade INS in airborne and ground-based field trials]

[2] https://q-ctrl.com/blog/q-ctrl-overcomes-gps-denial-with-qua... [the company's blog]

[3] https://www.defence.gov.au/news-events/news/2024-09-25/battl... [25 September 2024 Battlefield developments in their sights]

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Someone a day ago | parent [-]

> Quite interesting, to myself magnetic fields wouldn't seem all that accurate but then again it's known some animals can navigate back to the same spot each yearly nesting / migration

I think consensus (insofar it exists; the field is rather divided on how these animals navigate) is that these animals use a combination of signals. In particular, they may use magnetic fields ‘only’ for getting roughly home, then use smell and/or vision for precise navigation.

Also, those animals only statistically make it back to the same spot with fairly high losses.

	▲	anenefan 16 hours ago \| parent [-]
		I'm sure using a combination makes more sense for many species. However there's a few instances where magnetic fields would have to be doing most of the heavy lifting, for instance sea turtles. [1] I can also point to my personal observations of our Australian green tree frogs, that having spent most of their life inside a house and having bred in the backyard pond and knowing very little outside of that immediate location, returned back to it after being removed [a] via a cloth bag and at speed in a car, half a mile away to a nice cosy creek which is also upwind of the dwelling. However they may not used any homing ability and simply been smart enough to simply follow the general direction back the road back into the first driveway ignoring the natural habitat along the way. Today I was pleased to learn I'm not alone in that observation. [2] (last paragraph in the subsection.) [1] https://www.seaturtlestatus.org/articles/2021/6/16/how-do-se... [2] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Australian_green_tree_frog#Dis... [a] a guest for a few days did not being around frogs.