The St. Lawrence is one of the most difficult rivers in the world to navigate. It has been the site of collisions, groundings and shipwrecks. Several thousand wrecks lie beneath its surface.
Residents of rural areas depend on social interactions to give directions.
Peter Titmuss/Education Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Grid-like cities such as Buenos Aries can have a detrimental effect on navigation ability.
Navigator Frank Worsley, left, works with scientist Reginald James to take an observation by the stern of the Endurance.
Frank Hurley/Scott Polar Research Institute, University of Cambridge/Getty Images
Carlo Ratti, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT)
As you’re walking through city streets on your way to work, school or appointments, you probably feel like you’re taking the most efficient route. Thanks to evolution, you’re probably not.
A dung beetle climbs atop its precious ball to orient itself using the night skies.
Chris Collingridge
Although some parents may be reluctant to let their children explore their surroundings alone, allowing kids to wander can help build their sense of direction.
The English astronomer and navigator Thomas Harriot died in 1621, leaving behind 8,000 pages of notes containing a trove of unpublished scientific discoveries.
Recently, magnetic compasses at Greenwich pointed directly at true north for the first time in 360 years. This is currently happening in Western Australia too. But what does it mean?
Matthew Flinders Professor of Global Ecology and Models Theme Leader for the ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, Flinders University