Australia’s Bogong moths use the constellations and the Milky Way as compass to navigate the 1,000-km migration, making them the first invertebrates to rely on stellar navigation for long trips.
Scientists have discovered specialized brain neurons fired when moths face the south, revealing how these modest insects accomplish one of nature’s most precise navigation feats, never to a destination.
The new study published in nature solves a long-term problem of how four million moths are scattered in breeding farms in southeast Australia each year, and how to find specific alpine caves in snowy mountains each year.
Celestial Guidance System
“So far, we know that some birds and even humans can use stars to travel on long distances, but this is the first time it’s proven in insects,” Professor Eric of Lund University led an international research team.
Using a sophisticated flight simulator in a magnetic neutral environment, the researchers tested how moths were oriented under different sky conditions. When natural starry sky appears, the moths always fly in the right seasonal direction – sail towards the mountains in spring and return to the breeding ground north in autumn.
The most illuminating experiment was when scientists rotated the expected stellar field 180 degrees. The moths immediately twisted their direction, proving that they don’t just follow bright lights or use simple visual cues.
“This proves that they are not just flying towards the brightest light, or following simple visual cues,” explains Professor Guarantee. “They are reading specific patterns in the night sky to determine geographical orientation, just like migratory birds.”
Backup navigation system
What happens when clouds cover up stars? Moths seamlessly switch to their spare compass: Earth’s magnetic field. This dual navigation system ensures reliable travel even if weather conditions change.
In the field test, on cloudy nights, the moths used only magnetic cues to maintain the correct migration direction, showing significant navigation redundancy. This flexibility may explain why the Bogong population has successfully completed its journey despite changes in Australia’s weather patterns.
Neurostar readers
Perhaps the most fascinating thing is the brain mechanism of this behavior. The researchers identified specialized neurons specifically responding to stellar patterns in the moth’s navigation center. Regardless of the season, these cells will consistently fire when the moth faces south.
The discovery involves hard intracellular recordings from individual brain cells, while moths undergo a spinning stellar field. Scientists have discovered neurons in three key brain regions: the line of sight lobe for visual processing, the central complex for spatial orientation, and the lateral assisted lobe for generating steering commands.
When researchers tested these neurons with artificial stimulation, mimicking the Milky Way, both in the brightest areas around the Karina Nebula and its unique striped shape, the cells responded similarly to the natural starry sky. This suggests that moths can identify specific celestial features, not just overall light patterns.
Modern ancient sailing
Research shows that stellar navigation is not limited to humans and birds. These moths essentially contain stellar maps and regulate neural circuits to identify celestial signs in the southern hemisphere sky.
With the use of the Milky Way dung beetles rolling the ball in a straight line away from the game, the Bogong Moth takes stellar tips to achieve true geo navigation until a specific remote destination they have never seen before.
This raises interesting questions about how moths explain seasonal planetary movements and the rotation of celestial bodies at night. Although the star moves significantly over three hours, it is still successfully maintaining the process, indicating the identification of the rotation center or compass mechanism of time compensation.
Protective meaning
These findings have urgent protection relevance. In recent years, the Bogong moth population has dropped sharply, winning the status of a fragile species. Understanding their navigation requirements is essential for protection efforts.
“It’s not just moths, it’s about how animals read the world around them,” the warrant said. “The night sky is an explorer who has guided humanity for thousands of years. Now, we know that it also guides moths.”
The study also provides technical applications for robotics and drone navigation, especially in environments where GPS signals are not available. As light pollution increasingly threatens the natural dark sky, the celestial compass that protect these ancient navigators are becoming increasingly critical.
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