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CURIOUS LANDMARK. “In 1984, Kavaliers, Ossenkopp, and Hirst published a seminal paper that magnetic fields from two counter rotating horseshoe magnets could abolish morphine induced analgesia in mice.” http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bem.21918/full View in LinkedIn

RADIOLYTIC LIFE INSPIRATION. “Geochemical processes are well known to support subsurface life. An important shift in our understanding came about when studies revealed that subsurface life can be independently supported by radiolysis, where the source of radiation is particles emitted from the decay of radioactive substances.” https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsif.2016.0459 View in LinkedIn

DISRUPTION. “Exposure to extremely low frequency (ELF) fields can disrupt orientation to static GMF. Burda et al. showed that 50 Hz fields of about 0.1 μT (more than two orders of magnitude lower than the static GMFs) can disrupt orientation of ruminants to the GMF. This is not an isolated finding. A number of reports found that ELF magnetic fields in the 1 μT range can disrupt orientation to GMF. Surprisingly, Engels et al. showed that anthropogenic electromagnetic noise, as weak as 100 nT and as integrated between 2 kHz and 5 MHz, disrupts magnetic compass orientation in migratory European robins.” https://lnkd.in/d-hY-TE View in LinkedIn

THE CENTRAL IDEA. “Nevertheless, a high dosage of ionizing radiation can force organisms to develop mechanisms that enable them to survive in extreme conditions.” https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsif.2016.0459 View in LinkedIn

MOLE-RATS. “The magnetic compass of mole-rats is affected by brief magnetic pulses with an intensity high enough to re-magnetize magnetite particles. The same properties were found for the magnetoreceptors of microphthalmic bats. Importantly, the magnetic compass of Ansell’s mole-rats was unaffected by a treatment specifically designed to perturb the radical pair mechanism using a RF field in the low MHz range (broadband as well as Larmor frequency, i.e., 1.315 MHz)16 over 300 times stronger than that shown to cause disorientation in birds.” https://lnkd.in/etSP2df View in LinkedIn

IONIZING RADIATION DANGERS. “Such damages have the potential to modify the genetic code through mutations, alter the way DNA functions, and transfer mutations to the next generation(s). Radiation damage can also cause cancer as seen in a number of studies with ultraviolet (UV) and particle interactions with humans, primarily in context of oncological studies, nuclear accidents and astronaut health in outer space.” https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsif.2016.0459 View in LinkedIn

IONIZING RADIATION. “Studies of ionizing radiation, on the other hand, have mostly been associated with health-effects on humans and studies of radiation resistance on microbes. By definition, ionizing radiation has the energy to ionize, or to eject at least one electron from a neutral atom or a molecule, which is 13.6 eV for a neutral hydrogen atom, for example. Ionizing radiation can interact with DNA and cause reparable or irreparable damage, depending on the type and energy of the radiation.” https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsif.2016.0459 View in LinkedIn

BEYOND RADIOACTIVITY. “Radiation in the form of photons is the primary way by which solar energy is transferred to living systems. The energy of a typical photon is between 2 and 3 eV (visible red, 1.8 eV and visible blue, 3.1 eV), and an abundant supply of such photons makes it convenient for life to utilize it for metabolic purposes. Even though most of the energy is lost in heat, the overall efficiency of 0.1–8% is sufficient to power metabolism.” https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsif.2016.0459 View in LinkedIn

THE PAPER. “Two mechanisms are proposed through which Galactic cosmic ray-induced secondary particles can be utilized for biological use in subsurface environments: (i) Galactic cosmic rays injecting energy in the environment through particle-induced radiolysis and (ii) organic synthesis from Galactic cosmic rays secondaries interacting with the medium. Laboratory experiments to test these hypotheses are also proposed. Implications of these mechanisms on finding life in the Solar System and elsewhere in the Universe are discussed.” https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsif.2016.0459 View in LinkedIn

RADIOLYTIC BACTERIA INSPIRATION. “Bacterium Candidatus Desulforudis audaxviator, found 2.8 km deep in a South African mine, harvests energy from radiolysis, induced by particles emitted from radioactive U, Th and K present in surrounding rock. Another radiation source in the subsurface environments is secondary particles generated by galactic cosmic rays (GCRs).” https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsif.2016.0459 View in LinkedIn