London: Scientists have uncovered magnetic fossils that may reveal how ancient ocean creatures navigated millions of years ago using an internal system similar to a modern GPS. The findings come from a new study that examined tiny magnetite particles preserved in deep sea sediments in the North Atlantic.

Researchers from the University of Cambridge and Helmholtz Zentrum Berlin used high resolution imaging technology to study these particles, some of which are almost one hundred million years old. One fossil, about fifty six million years old, stood out for its unusual structure. It contained a closed magnetic loop that could help an organism detect both the direction and the strength of Earths magnetic field.

Scientists believe this structure may have helped the creature understand where it was in the ocean, making it more advanced than a simple magnetic compass. While the exact species that produced the particles is not yet known, experts say it could have been a migratory marine animal or even a large type of microorganism.

These magnetite particles, often called giant magneto fossils, are much larger than those found in modern magneto tactic bacteria. Their shape and magnetic behavior suggest they may have played a key role in navigation at a time when the oceans were very different from today.

The study could also help scientists explore the possibility of ancient life on other planets. Similar magnetic minerals found in Martian rocks have been debated for years, and the new imaging technique may help determine whether they were formed by living organisms.

Researchers say the discovery opens a new window into how early creatures moved through the oceans and how magnetic sensing may have evolved long before the species we know today. They also note that more work is needed to identify the organism that left behind these magnetic traces.