A Peek Inside a Flying Bat's Brain Uncovers Clues to Mammalian Navigation
Published:14 Jul.2021 Source:University of California – Berkeley
When driving up to a busy intersection, you probably pay more attention to where you will be in the near future than where you are at that moment. After all, knowing when you will arrive at the intersection -- and whether you need to stop or slow down to avoid a collision with a passing car, pedestrian or cyclist -- is usually much more important than knowing your current location.
This ability to focus on where we will be in the near future -- rather than where we are in the present -- may be a key characteristic of the mammalian brain's built-in navigation system, suggests a new study appearing online Thursday, July 8, in the journal Science.