Researchers reporting across multiple outlets say new evidence points to pigeons using the Earth’s magnetic field for navigation, potentially through a mechanism located in the birds’ livers rather than in the brain or eyes. The studies describe how pigeons can find their way home over long distances even when visual cues are limited, such as during overcast or low-visibility conditions. One reported finding is that iron-rich immune cells in the liver may function as magnetic sensors, helping the birds detect magnetic information from the environment. According to the coverage, experiments that targeted these cells found that pigeons with disrupted or depleted liver immune cells performed worse at homing when skies were overcast, suggesting the magnetic-sensing pathway is important under conditions where sunlight cues are less available. The work is framed as bringing scientists closer to explaining a long-standing puzzle in animal navigation—how pigeons detect magnetic cues with enough reliability to guide long-distance travel. While the reports emphasize the new liver-based hypothesis, they also reflect that researchers are still working to fully establish the exact biological process.