BIOLOGICAL EFFECT OF NATURAL AND WEAK ARTIFICIAL MAGNETIC FIELDS (On the State of the Art)
Yu. A. Kholodov, Yu. I. Novitsky · 1971
A 1971 Soviet review argued that weak magnetic field research must include reduced-field studies and warned that mechanistic claims were unsupported.
Plain English Summary
They identified several problem areas for the geomagnetic field's biological significance, including orientation, magnetic anomalies, ontogenesis, hypomagnetic syndrome, and sensitivity mechanisms. The authors concluded that no mechanism for weak-field perception had been demonstrated, including hypothesized membrane mechanisms or intracellular magnetic fields.
Why This Matters
The review traced the term 'weak magnetic fields' to early reports of geomagnetic bioeffects and a threshold near 10^9 oersteds cited from Pereira, Gualtirotti, and Kholodov. They emphasized that experimental requirements increase immeasurably when studying weak fields, and that procedural inequivalence between augmented and reduced field methods undermines early conclusions.
Finding
Thus, with respect to all items, the question of the mechanism of the perception of weak magnetic fields by animate objects remains an open problem. It is only possible to hope that the further conscientious and unbiased accumulation of new facts and critical evaluation of them will help shed light on the true mechanisms of this sensitivity.
In their words
“Thus, with respect to all items, the question of the mechanism of the perception of weak magnetic fields by animate objects remains an open problem. It is only possible to hope that the further conscientious and unbiased accumulation of new facts and critical evaluation of them will help shed light on the true mechanisms of this sensitivity.”
Show BibTeX
@article{biological_effect_of_natural_and_weak_artificial_magnetic_fields_on_the_state_of_g7096,
author = {Yu. A. Kholodov and Yu. I. Novitsky},
title = {BIOLOGICAL EFFECT OF NATURAL AND WEAK ARTIFICIAL MAGNETIC FIELDS (On the State of the Art)},
year = {1971},
}