Magnetite in All Living Organisms: The Clue to Magnetic Attractions?
If you can think of nothing else to praise God for today, praise Him for His incredible, mind-boggling, perfect Creation. He must love the process of discovery.
(North Carolina)—On November 4th, we posted an article on Breaking Christian News entitled, Scientists Discover Strange, Giant Portals That Connect the Sun and Earth. That article dealt with the power of magnetism, noting that the portal (a "flux transfer event") that opened between the sun and the earth every eight minutes was a magnetic portal.
On the heels of that now comes news from the University of North Carolina that researchers have discovered that variations in the Earth's magnetic is what may make roaming marine animals like salmon and sea turtles find their way back to their birthplace.
As published in a recent Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences Journal, study author Kenneth Lohmann said: "'Natal homing' involves young salmon and sea turtles detecting the Earth's magnetic field and using it to sense direction during their first migration away. This helps them return to the general area of their upbringing."
Another recent Daily Mail report noted that the magnetic field varies significantly across the globe with each region having its own distinct magnetic pattern or signature. And an August 26, 2008 article in The Register UK highlights research on why "cattle will tend to face the same direction when grazing—a behaviour long known to herdsmen and hunters but previously attributed to either prevailing winds or the sun's position." According to Reuters, notes the article, "They align their bodies along a north-south axis, suggesting the Earth's magnetic field is the 'polarizing factor.'"
Of researching that question, Sabine Begall of University of Duisburg-Essen said: "Our results call for an in-depth study of this phenomenon and challenge neuroscientists, biochemists and physicists to study the proximate mechanisms and biological significance of magnetic alignment."
Adding even more intrigue to the mix, is the role the mineral magnetite (iron oxide) plays in magnetism. Magnetite an electric vector (electricity produces magnetic fields). Magnetite crystals are present in almost all living organisms and is located at the back of the nasal passages of many animals, thus, it is theorized, lending to their "homing" instincts.
Said Joseph Kirschvink, a Caltech geobiologist: "Magnetite is the first permanent magnet to be discovered in human tissue, and it has new and novel physical properties."
Notes reporter Scott Faber in a 1993 Discover report detailing the discovery of magnetite in human cells: "The researchers sampled magnetite from different areas of the brain and learned that the crystals were consistent in size, shape, and distribution, suggesting that they have some biological function. But no one knows where the tiny magnets are located in intact cells. One possibility is that the crystals could be coupled to ion channels that regulate the flow of materials in and out of cells. When exposed to strong electric fields, the tiny magnets could reorient themselves and either open the channels or slam them shut. That would affect a cell's health or its rate of activity."
All of which brings us back to our musings about the magnetic love of God....
