Note: This study found no significant biological effects under its experimental conditions. We include all studies for scientific completeness.
Magnetoreception in the wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus): influence of weak frequency-modulated radio frequency fields.
Malkemper EP, Eder SH, Begall S, Phillips JB, Winklhofer M, Hart V, Burda H · 2015
View Original AbstractWeak radio frequency fields disrupted magnetic navigation in mammals at exposure levels 1,000 times lower than typical household appliances.
Plain English Summary
Researchers tested whether wood mice can sense magnetic fields by observing where they built nests in circular arenas. They found that mice normally oriented their nests north-south using Earth's magnetic field, but when exposed to weak radio frequency fields (0.9-5 MHz), the mice switched to building nests east-west instead. This demonstrates that low-level RF exposure can disrupt an animal's natural magnetic navigation system.
Study Details
Here, we tested the wood mouse Apodemus sylvaticus for magnetoreception using a simple behavioural assay in which mice are allowed to build nests overnight in a visually symmetrical, circular arena.
The tests were performed in the ambient magnetic field or in a field rotated by 90°. When plotted wi...
Wood mice exposed to a 0.9 to 5 MHz frequency sweep changed their preference from north-south to eas...
In sum, we demonstrated magnetoreception in wood mice and provide first evidence for a radical-pair mechanism in a mammal.
Show BibTeX
@article{ep_2015_magnetoreception_in_the_wood_3221,
author = {Malkemper EP and Eder SH and Begall S and Phillips JB and Winklhofer M and Hart V and Burda H},
title = {Magnetoreception in the wood mouse (Apodemus sylvaticus): influence of weak frequency-modulated radio frequency fields.},
year = {2015},
url = {https://www.nature.com/articles/srep09917},
}