What’s Higher Tech—a Loggerhead Turtle or a Smartphone?

Loggerhead turtles are the giant ones found in many parts of the world, similar to those shown in the Pixar movie "Finding Nemo" where they talk like California surfer dudes. Born on the beaches of Japan, Pacific loggerhead turtles swim 9000 kilometers to California, then return 9000 kilometers to Japan where they lay eggs on the same beach where they hatched. In surfer lingo—whoa, dude!
 

It’s a mind-boggling display of endurance—but just as astounding—how on earth do they not lose their way in the middle of the Pacific Ocean? The answer, it seems, is that long before Steve Jobs released the Iphone, loggerhead turtles were using some of the same technology. They navigate by the Earth’s magnetic field, using both its direction and intensity. That field is constantly changing, and it takes a team of 20 to 50 humans to track and predict changes in the earth’s magnetic field so it can be used in electronic devices for navigation. Apparently, the loggerhead does these calculations in its little turtle brain. We’re justifiably dazzled by a smart phone’s capabilities, but the loggerhead turtle lasts far longer without a recharge, has a much stronger shell, and is actually waterproof. As technology continues to transform society, may we remain dazzled by the beauty and complexity of nature.