Cow Compass

jason · 04-22-2009, 12:45 PM

Lost in drive-by country? Look for a cow. It will probably be pointing north—or south.
After analyzing satellite photos of 8,000 cows in 308 different locations, German scientists have found that the milk-makers usually confront the world in a north-south direction. This preference isn’t an indication of the cows sunning themselves, researchers say—it shows that they can sense the Earth’s magnetic field.
The scientists were careful to correct for the animal’s whims: they only studied photos of cows that were resting on flat ground, and avoided ones that were near drinking or feeding areas. Couldn’t the cows just be guarding themselves from harsh winds? Not so, says lead researcher Sabine Begall. There was no correlation between gusty weather and the cow’s stance; in fact, if wind was the issue, cows would align themselves in different positions around the world, and not in a north-south direction.

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kernow · 04-23-2009, 02:43 AM

I don't put too much faith in this sort of research, if I tried to use a 'cow compass' I expect I would manage to pick a disorientated cow with no sense of direction!

poster25 · 04-26-2009, 12:04 AM

Wow! I agree with you Kernow. I hope that they did not spend too much money on this.

kernow · 04-26-2009, 03:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poster25

Wow! I agree with you Kernow. I hope that they did not spend too much money on this.

I guess while they were putting all their energy something so pointless they were at least not bothering too many people.

tater03 · 04-26-2009, 02:58 PM

Where do these people find this stuff to analyze? I mean I would just think that there would be so much more things that you could analyze that would be of more benefit but that is just my opinion.

kernow · Yesterday, 03:37 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tater03

Where do these people find this stuff to analyze? I mean I would just think that there would be so much more things that you could analyze that would be of more benefit but that is just my opinion.

I would have thought so too, surely there are more useful things they could be doing with their time.

04-22-2009, 12:45 PM	#1
jason Administrator Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Florida Posts: 167	Cow Compass Lost in drive-by country? Look for a cow. It will probably be pointing north—or south. After analyzing satellite photos of 8,000 cows in 308 different locations, German scientists have found that the milk-makers usually confront the world in a north-south direction. This preference isn’t an indication of the cows sunning themselves, researchers say—it shows that they can sense the Earth’s magnetic field. The scientists were careful to correct for the animal’s whims: they only studied photos of cows that were resting on flat ground, and avoided ones that were near drinking or feeding areas. Couldn’t the cows just be guarding themselves from harsh winds? Not so, says lead researcher Sabine Begall. There was no correlation between gusty weather and the cow’s stance; in fact, if wind was the issue, cows would align themselves in different positions around the world, and not in a north-south direction. Read more

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04-23-2009, 02:43 AM	#2
kernow Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 55	I don't put too much faith in this sort of research, if I tried to use a 'cow compass' I expect I would manage to pick a disorientated cow with no sense of direction!

04-26-2009, 12:04 AM	#3
poster25 Member Join Date: Apr 2009 Posts: 40	Wow! I agree with you Kernow. I hope that they did not spend too much money on this.

04-26-2009, 02:58 PM	#5
tater03 Senior Member Join Date: Jan 2009 Posts: 107	Where do these people find this stuff to analyze? I mean I would just think that there would be so much more things that you could analyze that would be of more benefit but that is just my opinion.