Germany: electromagnetic noise disorients birds

Radio waves interfere in the "compass" Robin magnetic, according to a study recently published in Germany, which is expected to rekindle the debate about the safety of electronic devices. 

In an experiment of long and careful, German scientists discovered that Robin migrants disoriented if exposed to electromagnetic fields much lower than the margin of safety for man. 


Frequencies belonging to medium waves generation, used by AM radio, and non-generation mobile phone, which are often cast doubts about the consequences to man.

"For tens of years is greatly debated whether electric and magnetic fields generated by human activity, affect biological processes, including human health," - say the authors, University of Oldenburgut, in the journal "Nature". 

Tests show "a reproducible result prejnjerëzore electromagnetic noise on the behavior of an uninfluenced kurrizori ago." 

For long believed that birds orient with the lights and the Earth's magnetic field. But it remains unclear where this "compass" their magnetic. Studies show that pigeons part of the orientation and crystal can be rich in iron that is contained in their beaks and named magnetite. 

Seven years ago, researchers were surprised to Oldenburgut saw Robin (Erithacus rubecula) hutoheshin to stop their campus. 

Baffled by the phenomenon, scientists prepared a wooden cabin with aluminum coatings on the walls earthed. This prevented the electromagnetic radiation in the range of 50 kHz to 20 MHz, but without inhibiting influence of the Earth's magnetic field. 

Over seven years, the experiments showed that while acting screening, the birds in the cabin went out of their normal position for exile. But when posed screening, birds exposed to electromagnetic noise in the background and çorientoheshin. 

This disorientation is simply due to the weak electromagnetic signals at equal levels with a bird that flies in the 5 km distance from a 50kW AM transmitter. 

This density is well below the levels of security for man, as these are defined by the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), which sets guidelines for electrical equipment from radios to computers, mobiles and electrical systems. 

Researchers claim that the interference comes from human activity and not from other natural causes. Eg according to a previous study, it is also noticed that powerful solar storms, during which particles from the sun collide with Earth's magnetic field can cause radio noise that distracts conveys jonosferën and doves. 

The findings are likely to reignite claims that electronic devices are unreliable or misleading, says J. Kirshvink the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in his commentary in the journal "Nature". 

"Charlatans of today, they will take this study as an argument to ban the use of cell phones, although it is here for different frequency bands," - he says. 

But if the German side recorded experiments and further tests, perhaps for this could be a reaction from the electronics industry, for abandonment of that part of the energy spectrum that can cause problems in the migration of birds, and so help to find their way without any problems of this nature.