Scientists have found that sharks use the Earth’s magnetic field as a sort of natural GPS. This permits them to swim across great distances in the world’s oceans. GPS, or Global Positioning System, is a United States government-owned service that provides users with their location on Earth. A GPS device can tell users directions from any point to another point in real-time. Researchers held experiments with a small kind of shark in a sea laboratory. They confirmed the theory that sharks use magnetic fields to guide their travels. This behavior is seen in other sea animals as well. Their study was published this month in the journal Current Biology. Bryan Keller, an expert on sea life, is one of the researchers. He said the study explained how sharks can travel the seas and find their way back to feed and produce offspring. Keller said, “We know that sharks can respond to magnetic fields.” But scientists did not know that they use magnetic fields to help direct them. He noted that “You have sharks that can travel 20,000 kilometers and end up in the same spot.” Researchers have questioned how sharks perform long-distance traveling for years. Sharks make their trips in the open ocean where they pass few physical features such as corals that could serve as landmarks. Looking for answers, scientists based at Florida State University decided to study a small kind of shark called a bonnethead. The bonnethead shark they studied lives on both American coasts and returns to the same waters every year. Researchers created magnetic conditions to make 20 bonnethead sharks think they were hundreds of kilometers away from where they were caught off Florida. The scientists found that the sharks began to swim north. This was due to the magnetic conditions that made them think they were south of where they should be.
Title: Scientists: Sharks Use Earth’s Magnetic Field to Travel
Content: <div id='article-page'><div id='article-content' data-media-url='//news-app-staging.s3.amazonaws.com' data-base-url='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5086/A.wav' data-capture-url='//staging.analytics.lingraphica.com/events/capture_news' data-article-title='Scientists: Sharks Use Earths Magnetic Field to Travel' data-article-id='5654'><script src='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/javascripts/getscripts.js'></script><link rel='stylesheet' href='//news-app-staging.herokuapp.com/stylesheets/article.css' type='text/css' /><div class='article'><p><span data-start-time='0' data-end-time='12021'>Scientists have found that sharks use the Earth’s magnetic field as a sort of natural GPS. </span> <span data-start-time='12021' data-end-time='20500'>This permits them to swim across great distances in the world’s oceans.</span> <span data-start-time='20500' data-end-time='34813'>GPS, or Global Positioning System, is a United States government-owned service that provides users with their location on Earth. </span> <span data-start-time='34813' data-end-time='44750'>A GPS device can tell users directions from any point to another point in real-time.</span> <span data-start-time='44750' data-end-time='53500'>Researchers held experiments with a small kind of shark in a sea laboratory. </span> <span data-start-time='53500' data-end-time='61979'>They confirmed the theory that sharks use magnetic fields to guide their travels. </span> <span data-start-time='61979' data-end-time='68083'>This behavior is seen in other sea animals as well. </span> <span data-start-time='68083' data-end-time='75458'>Their study was published this month in the journal Current Biology.</span> <span data-start-time='75458' data-end-time='82104'>Bryan Keller, an expert on sea life, is one of the researchers. </span> <span data-start-time='82104' data-end-time='93333'>He said the study explained how sharks can travel the seas and find their way back to feed and produce offspring.</span> <span data-start-time='93333' data-end-time='99979'>Keller said, “We know that sharks can respond to magnetic fields.” </span> <span data-start-time='99979' data-end-time='107458'>But scientists did not know that they use magnetic fields to help direct them. </span> <span data-start-time='107458' data-end-time='117563'>He noted that “You have sharks that can travel 20,000 kilometers and end up in the same spot.”</span> <span data-start-time='117563' data-end-time='124854'>Researchers have questioned how sharks perform long-distance traveling for years. </span> <span data-start-time='124854' data-end-time='137708'>Sharks make their trips in the open ocean where they pass few physical features such as corals that could serve as landmarks.</span> <span data-start-time='137708' data-end-time='149021'>Looking for answers, scientists based at Florida State University decided to study a small kind of shark called a bonnethead. </span> <span data-start-time='149021' data-end-time='158958'>The bonnethead shark they studied lives on both American coasts and returns to the same waters every year.</span> <span data-start-time='158958' data-end-time='172250'>Researchers created magnetic conditions to make 20 bonnethead sharks think they were hundreds of kilometers away from where they were caught off Florida. </span> <span data-start-time='172250' data-end-time='177771'>The scientists found that the sharks began to swim north. </span> <span data-start-time='177771' data-end-time='185646'>This was due to the magnetic conditions that made them think they were south of where they should be.</span> </p></div><div class='control-buttons-sticky' style='display:none;'><div class='control-buttons'><button title='Back' class='back' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Play' class='play' disabled='disabled'></button><button title='Pause' class='pause' style='display:none;'></button><button title='Forward' class='forward' disabled='disabled'></button><button class='finished-reading' style='display:none;'>Done</button></div></div></div><div id='article-media'><div id='media-image'><img src='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5086/A.jpeg'/></div></div><div id='question-content' style='display:none;'><div class='vocabulary_question question-container' data-question-id=17464 data-hint-location='93333' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5086/what_does_it_mean_to_respond.wav'>What does it mean to respond?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='To have a particular reaction to something'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5086/to_have_a_particular_reaction_to_something.wav'><span>To have a particular reaction to something</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5086/to_have_a_particular_preference_and_make_it_known.wav'><span>To have a particular preference and make it known</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5086/to_provide_with_a_fresh_supply.wav'><span>To provide with a fresh supply</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5086/to_breathe_artificially.wav'><span>To breathe artificially</span></div></div></div><div class='multiple_choice_question question-container' data-question-id=17465 data-hint-location='137708' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5086/what_type_of_shark_did_the_researchers_study.wav'>What type of shark did the researchers study?</div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='bonnethead'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5086/bonnethead.wav'><span>bonnethead</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5086/large.wav'><span>large</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5086/white.wav'><span>white</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5086/tiger.wav'><span>tiger</span></div></div></div><div class='sentence_completion_question question-container' data-question-id=17466 data-hint-location='20500' style='display:none;'><div class='question' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5086/gps_or__blank__is_a_united_states_governmentowned_service_that_provides_users_with_their_location_on_earth_.wav'>GPS, or <span class='blank'>Global Positioning System</span>, is a United States government-owned service that provides users with their location on Earth. </div><div class='choices' data-correct-choice='Global Positioning System'><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5086/global_polar_scanner.wav'><span>Global Polar Scanner</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5086/good_pal_satellite.wav'><span>Good Pal Satellite</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5086/great_pointer_shark.wav'><span>Great Pointer Shark</span></div><div class='choice' data-sound-name='https://news-app-production.s3.amazonaws.com/articles/5086/global_positioning_system.wav'><span>Global Positioning System</span></div></div></div><div class='question-buttons'><button class='skip-button'></button><button class='hint-button'></button><button class='speak-button'></button></div></div></div>
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