Dec9

you’re out of line.

Posted on by
Standard

in late 2022, a farm owner noticed a few sheep on her farm in inner mongolia walking in a circle. eventually, all 400+ sheep in her herd started walking in a continuous, perfect circle for 12 straight days.

—

without a landmark humans cannot walk in a straight line.

—

Humans are masters of navigation. Over the course of history, we’ve developed tools to help us explore not only Earth but other planets. Yet strip away all those tools, blindfold us, and tell us to walk in a straight line, and inevitably we become a directional mess, turning in tight loops. Many studies in the past have cataloged this phenomenon again and again. Without some form of reference, such as a mountain, a building, or even the sun, humans are incapable of walking in a straight line, no matter how hard we try. It happens whether we’re blindfolded or just lost in the forest. So what’s going on.

We don’t know for sure, but  scientists have been able to rule out some popular go-to explanations. Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Biological Cybernetics in Germany discovered that body asymmetries (different-sized legs, right-handedness vs. left-handedness, etc.) didn’t account for such vast misdirection. Additionally, the idea that people can’t correctly calculate the movement of their legs doesn’t explain the tight-looped pattern. The scientists theorize that with every blindfolded step, a very small directional discrepancy from a straight line is introduced, which then compounds with every additional step. Without the aid of visual references to unconsciously correct for these discrepancies, blindfolded people are poor at navigating a straight line, and will inevitably begin walking in tight-looped circles. While this theory explains why we do this, scientists aren’t sure of the biological how (though they think errors in the inner ear may be to blame). For now, this straight-line conundrum remains one of the many mysteries of the human brain and body.

—

‘i keep a close watch on this heart of mine

i keep my eyes wide open all the time

i keep the ends out for the tie that binds

because you’re mine, i walk the line.’

-johnny cash, ‘i walk the line.’

—

– Length (in miles) of the longest straight line possible at sea, connecting Pakistan and Russia
19,940
 
– Highway #10 is the world’s longest straight road (149 miles), in Saudi Arabia, per Guinness World Records
 

 

—

source credits:  newsweek magazine, interesting facts

Discover more from I didn't have my glasses on....

Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.

70 responses »

  3. I saw the sheep circle on Twitter, along with other similar strange behaviours by different animals. The explanations range from ‘natural magenetic forces underground’, to ‘alien interference’. I doubt we will ever know the real reason.
    Best wishes, Pete.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  8. I’ll second what Dave just said. Yikes! And wow…and how? Those sheep…they know things I don’t. I laughed when I read …”inevitably we become a directional mess…”. Describes me perfectly! 😜

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  9. Beth, this is fascinating! In the news of today, this is the kind I enjoy! I’m a huge Johnny Cash fan (and a fan of sheep!). Beth, if I ever get pulled over and asked to walk in a straight line, I’m going to refer the officer to this saved post. Proof! 🤭💚

    Like

    Reply ↓

  15. I’d heard we have a tendency to walk in circles, but thought it was just a vague thing to guard against when lost in the woods or something. Dunno what’s up with those sheep other than their reputation for mindlessly following a leader. But that’s a seriously messed up leader!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

    • I agree, and it seems the sheep may have had another issue, having to do with their food, as far as what the scientists have come up with so far. in the humans case, we’re still working on it

      Liked by 1 person

      Reply ↓

  18. So very interesting. Makes me want to know/learn more and more. Or maybe not. Ignorance is bliss.
    I do know I can walk a straight line from the bedroom to the bathroom in the dark in the middle of the night. And back to bed.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  19. There’s a chance I’m being hurtful but I’m gonna say it: Sorta in defense of the Mongolian sheep, I think there’s a sizable percentage of humans doing no better than they (mindlessly following in a circle).

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  20. when there are no lines on the street…I tend to drift, as well…and people are alway bumping into each oher as the walk and talk, drifting into each other. It’s a weird thing. I think it’s simply foot/eye control. I think our eyes don’t see i a straight line…LOL, so we have a tendency to walk where we’re looking.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  24. This makes me think of our local mall. It opens early before the stores open for those who want to get some exercise inside. Being a bad sheep, I try to get my wife to walk in the opposite way since I find it amusing that everyone goes in the same direction.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

  25. Well I just learned a lot in this short post. I wonder what the discrepancy is as we get older? Walking blindfolded as a kid seemed less challenging. Balance was perfect, hearing finely tuned.
    Now… no chance 🤪

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply ↓

Leave a comment