Monarch butterflies reveal a novel way in which animals sense Earth's magnetic field

Monarch butterflies reveal a novel way in which animals sense Earth's magnetic field

"Because the butterfly Cry2 protein is closely related to the one in vertebrates, like that found in birds which use the Earth's magnetic field to aid migration," states Dr. Reppert, "the finding provides the first genetic evidence that a vertebrate-like Cry can function as a magnetoreceptor."

So it's possible that the ability of monarchs and birds to orient themselves during migration are a result of convergent evolution and that the adaptations allowing them to do so originate from the same gene or group of genes. Amazing.