Re: [Phys-L] [SPAM] Re: animal magnetism?

[Richard Tarara <rtarara@saintmarys.edu>]

http://www.nature.com/news/the-mystery-of-the-magnetic-cows-1.9350

There has been other work--apparently inconclusive with other animals.  
I have wondered about the cows ever since driving through Eastern 
Colorado ahead of a major electrical storm and noticed that the cattle 
had all congregated in groups and seemed all to be oriented in the same 
direction.  This might have been a wind effect, but have always wondered 
if they had some kind of instinct to align themselves relative to the 
electrical fields near storms.  While 4-legged animals have little 
chance when lightning strikes nearby--an orientation of the closer 
left/right legs versus the farther front/back legs could possibly have a 
slight advantage for survival.  However, I don't even know if the 
location/direction of potential lightning strikes has any relationship 
to field conditions ahead of a storm.  Also wondering.

rwt


On 1/16/2014 8:14 AM, Anthony Lapinski wrote:
> Of course I did!
>
> I'm just trying to understand this dog/magnetism thing. Makes little sense
> to me. I don't really believe it, despite the "scientific evidence" I've
> read...


--
Richard Tarara
Professor of Physics
Saint Mary's College

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