Google Earth

From Popular Science

Magnetic Cows and Deer

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In August, 2008, German and Czech researchers published a paper in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences which stated that both cows and deer prefer to orient themselves north to south (or vice versa). The scientists' findings challenged the popular belief that these herd animals stand according to the weather -- out of the wind or in the sun to stay warm, for example. They compared animals worldwide using Google Maps, which showed that climate had nothing to do with it -- regardless of the weather, the herds oriented according to the earth's magnetic poles. Later research from the same group -- also using Google Earth -- showed that cows may also align with power lines.