Evidence map›Paper›PMID 41984961›Full record

ArticleScience advances2026

Broad presence of ferromagnetism in bees and relationship to phylogeny, natural history, and sociality.

Laura Russo, Caleb Allen, Cameron S Jorgensen, Lizabeth Quigley, C Charlotte Buchanan, Michael Winklhofer, Seán G Brady, Laurence Packer, Anne Murray, Dustin A Gilbert

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Science advances, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Laura RussoDepartment of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-7343-9837
Caleb AllenDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA.ORCID 0009-0001-2346-0582
Cameron S JorgensenDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-0064-5920
Lizabeth QuigleyDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-8691-8992
C Charlotte BuchananDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA.ORCID 0009-0008-2199-4610
Michael WinklhoferInstitute of Biology and Environmental Sciences, University of Oldenburg, Oldenburg, Germany.ORCID 0000-0003-1352-9723
Seán G BradyDepartment of Entomology, National Museum of Natural History, Smithsonian Institution, Washington, DC, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-0468-940X
Laurence PackerDepartment of Biology, York University, Toronto, Ontario M3J 1P3, Canada.ORCID 0000-0002-1711-8203
Anne MurrayDepartment of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA.
Dustin A GilbertDepartment of Materials Science and Engineering, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, TN, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-3747-3883

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Scientists have long been fascinated by magnetoreception, the innate capacity of many animals to sense and use Earth's magnetic field for navigation. In eusocial insects like honey bees, magnetoreception has been linked to communication and foraging. However, little is known about magnetoreception's phylogenetic patterns and relationship to species traits and natural history. Here, we demonstrate that putative magnetoreception based on ferromagnetic particles is widespread across a diversity of bee species (74 of 96 species tested), with no phylogenetic signal. We also detected such putative magnetoreception in non-bee outgroups, suggesting that this magnetic capacity predates the evolution of the Anthophila. Although magnetic signals were found across a diversity of life history traits, the strength of the magnetic signal varied within and between species and increased with body size and social behavior.

Indexed as

PhylogenySocial BehaviorAnimalsBeesMagnetic Fields

Identifiers

PMID41984961
PMCPMC13082340

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.