Extremely low frequency magnetic field (50 Hz, 0.5 mT) modifies fitness components and locomotor activity of Drosophila subobscura.
Dimitrijević D, Savić T, Anđelković M, Prolić Z, Janać B. · 2014
View Original AbstractPower-line frequency magnetic fields altered fruit fly development and significantly reduced adult movement, suggesting biological effects on nervous system function.
Plain English Summary
Scientists exposed fruit flies to 50 Hz magnetic fields (power line frequency) and found the fields reduced adult fly movement and activity, regardless of when exposure occurred. This demonstrates that common electrical frequencies can alter nervous system function in living organisms.
Why This Matters
This study provides compelling evidence that power-line frequency magnetic fields can alter fundamental biological processes, even in a simple organism like fruit flies. The 0.5 mT exposure level used here is roughly 1,000 times stronger than typical household magnetic field exposures, but the fact that clear effects emerged demonstrates biological sensitivity to these frequencies. What's particularly noteworthy is that the magnetic field exposure affected both developmental processes and adult behavior, with the behavioral changes persisting longer when adult flies were exposed. The researchers attribute these effects to impacts on hormonal and nervous systems, which aligns with a growing body of research showing EMF can influence neurological function. While we can't directly extrapolate from flies to humans, this research adds to the evidence that magnetic fields are not biologically inert and can produce measurable physiological changes.
Exposure Details
- Magnetic Field
- 0.5 mG
- Source/Device
- 50 Hz
- Exposure Duration
- 48 h
Exposure Context
This study used 0.5 mG for magnetic fields:
- 25Kx above the Building Biology guideline of 0.2 mG
- 5Kx above the BioInitiative Report recommendation of 1 mG
Building Biology guidelines are practitioner-based limits from real-world assessments. BioInitiative Report recommendations are based on peer-reviewed science. Check Your Exposure to compare your own measurements.
Where This Falls on the Concern Scale
Study Details
The aim of this study was to examine the effects in Drosophila subobscura exposed for 48 h to ELF magnetic field (50 Hz, 0.5 mT) at different developmental stages.
Egg-first instar larvae developmental stage of D. subobscura isofemale lines was exposed to ELF mag...
ELF magnetic field shortens developmental time, increases viability and does not affect sex ratio of...
Applied ELF magnetic field modifies fitness components and locomotor activity of D. subobscura. Observed effects can be attributed to the influence of magnetic field on different stages of development where the hormonal and nervous systems play important role in the control of examined parameters.
Show BibTeX
@article{d_2014_extremely_low_frequency_magnetic_243,
author = {Dimitrijević D and Savić T and Anđelković M and Prolić Z and Janać B.},
title = {Extremely low frequency magnetic field (50 Hz, 0.5 mT) modifies fitness components and locomotor activity of Drosophila subobscura. },
year = {2014},
doi = {10.3109/09553002.2014.888105},
url = {https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.3109/09553002.2014.888105},
}