"Cattle shown to align north-south "

Oh right, it's on Google (and the BBC) so it's got to be correct then.... I would suggest that most animals stand (or nest) according to the prevailing winds and weather rather than out of a desire to point either north or south!

So herdsmen and hunters haven't noticed that cattle line up? Well of course they haven't noticed it - it doesn't happen. Just go for a drive in the country and watch cattle for a few hours.

It's an interesting idea, but there's a lot of other "causes" that may play a part - do fields tend to have gates in the north/south ends, do farms tend to be to the north/south of their fields (cows wait patiently, often looking for the farmer to come out at milking time and/or feeding), does a cow prefer to lie with it's side to the prevailing weather, and probably a lot of other things - I think making the magnetic connection might be jumping to conclusions a bit!

Cheers Richard

Jerry said the following on 26/08/2008 12:53:

No, no, no. It can't be true until it's on Wikipedia :-)

...which claims that the animals have been influenced by the teachings of David Icke and sound of their farts were use by Ronnie Hazlehurst as the bases of a well know TV signature tune... :~(

Its true - honest. Tis a relic behaviour pattern from when cattle used to migrate. They use the earths magnetic field just the same as homing pigeons. It also explains the cows normal confused expression - they ponder 'why am I looking over that way all the time, all I can see is Maudes* bottom and its looking a bit grimy?'. How do they know that hunters thousands of years ago didnt know about cattle orientation - as far as am aware theyre hasnt been much of a need to hunt cattle of late ? Has anyone checked out bison or buffulo ?

Cheers, Simon

Supposedly people sleep better if they're aligned north-south. Maybe cows are more contented that way, too.

It must be all the iron in the bloodstream.

The iron atoms in the blood stream aren't close enough to each other to create a magnetic field, nor to be influenced by one. Haemoglobin has a enough other atoms surrounding the Fe that the magnetic moment of the earth's field has mo effect.

OTOH, some birds (and butterflies IIRC) navigate by the Earth's magnetic field. These critters have minute crystals of Fe3O4 in some of their neurons. Fe3O4 is magnetic, and when the crystals will try to line up with the earth's field, the resulting strains within the neurons presumably cause them to fire.

HTH

So is there any truth in the story that one should sleep north-south?

What I had heard was that the cause is ion in the brain, and that men are in general more affected than women, and that arty types are less affected than maths/science types. What matters is supposedly not which direction you are aligned on, but that the direction is the same each night. I don't know how true this is, though.

MartinS said the following on 27/08/2008 03:10:

I sleep in a north-south line, and get disorientated if I'm staying somewhere else where I sleep in a different direction! I've always assumed people know which way they're facing in the same way as animals and birds do.

But that is just habit, and the result of breaking it.

Do these "experts" say anything about heads north or heads south or are they equally split? Absolutely vital information. If I am to go hunting cows I would rather shoot an arrow up its bottom than face its horns.

George

George

Only to avoid drafts.

One of the weirdest experiences I've had - just a few years ago - was a dream in which I was still sleeping in an army barracks in Germany, then woke up to find I was in bed in England in a completely different bedroom facing a completely different direction. It took my brain a few minutes to adjust to the reality (and the disappointment).

Kim

The cows in the field at the back of us face pretty much west, and those at the front east. Most mornings we open the curtains to see then staring into the house, happily chewing the cud and pondering life's great mysteries like they do. The ones at the back (milkers) completely ignore everything, including Alandi Rover (Jack Russel) wandering around under them. I can't help but try to hide the joint from them on Sundays though.....

Cheers Richard

The worst is when you slowly wake up and feel the lottery millions fade from your hands....... :-(

Cheers Richard

I can think of a lot worse, at least with the above you're no worse off than when you went to bed!

My house is aligned at 45 degrees, so I sleep northwest-southeast.