Magnetic sensitivity under the microscope

Humans do not have the sense of magnetoreception (the ability to detect magnetic fields) unless they’ve been enhanced. On the other hand, species of fish, insects, birds, and some mammals (other than human) possess the sense naturally. Scientists at the University of Tokyo (Japan) have developed a microscope capable of observing magnetoreception according to a June 4, 2015 news item on Nanowerk (Note: A link has been removed),

Researchers at the University of Tokyo have succeeded in developing a new microscope capable of observing the magnetic sensitivity of photochemical reactions believed to be responsible for the ability of some animals to navigate in the Earth’s magnetic field, on a scale small enough to follow these reactions taking place inside sub-cellular structures (Angewandte Chemie International Edition, “Optical Absorption and Magnetic Field Effect Based Imaging of Transient Radicals”).

A June 4, 2015 University of Tokyo news release on EurekAlert, which originated the news item, describes the research in more detail,

Several species of insects, fish, birds and mammals are believed to be able to detect magnetic fields – an ability known as magnetoreception. For example, birds are able to sense the Earth’s magnetic field and use it to help navigate when migrating. Recent research suggests that a group of proteins called cryptochromes and particularly the molecule flavin adenine dinucleotide (FAD) that forms part of the cryptochrome, are implicated in magnetoreception. When cryptochromes absorb blue light, they can form what are known as radical pairs. The magnetic field around the cryptochromes determines the spins of these radical pairs, altering their reactivity. However, to date there has been no way to measure the effect of magnetic fields on radical pairs in living cells.

The research group of Associate Professor Jonathan Woodward at the Graduate School of Arts and Sciences are specialists in radical pair chemistry and investigating the magnetic sensitivity of biological systems. In this latest research, PhD student Lewis Antill made measurements using a special microscope to detect radical pairs formed from FAD, and the influence of very weak magnetic fields on their reactivity, in volumes less than 4 millionths of a billionth of a liter (4 femtoliters). This was possible using a technique the group developed called TOAD (transient optical absorption detection) imaging, employing a microscope built by postdoctoral research associate Dr. Joshua Beardmore based on a design by Beardmore and Woodward.

“In the future, using another mode of the new microscope called MIM (magnetic intensity modulation), also introduced in this work, it may be possible to directly image only the magnetically sensitive regions of living cells,” says Woodward. “The new imaging microscope developed in this research will enable the study of the magnetic sensitivity of photochemical reactions in a variety of important biological and other contexts, and hopefully help to unlock the secrets of animals’ miraculous magnetic sense.”

Here’s a link to and a citation for the paper,

Optical Absorption and Magnetic Field Effect Based Imaging of Transient Radicals by Dr. Joshua P. Beardmore, Lewis M. Antill, and Prof. Jonathan R. Woodward. Angewandte Chemie International Edition DOI: 10.1002/anie.201502591 Article first published online: 3 JUN 2015

© 2015 WILEY-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim

This paper is behind a paywall.

I mentioned human enhancement earlier with regard to magnetoreception. There are people (body hackers) who’ve had implants that give them this extra sense. Dann Berg in a March 21, 2012 post on his website blog (iamdann.com) describes why he implanted a magnet into his finger and his experience with it (at that time, three years and counting),

I quickly learned that magnetic surfaces provided almost no sensation at all. Rather, it was movement that caused my finger to perk up. Things like power cord transformers, microwaves, and laptop fans became interactive in a whole new way. Each object has its own unique field, with different strength and “texture.” I started holding my finger over almost everything that I could, getting a feeling for each object’s invisible reach.

Portable electronics proved to be an experience as well. There were two fairly large electronic items that hit the shelves around the same time as I got my implant: the first iPad and the Kindle 2.

Something to consider,

Courtesy: iamdann.com (Dann Berg)

Courtesy: iamdann.com (Dann Berg)

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