Many songbirds use the Earth's magnetic field as a guide during their migrations, but radio waves interfere with this ability. A new study published has found an upper bound for the frequency that disrupts the magnetic compass.
While radio waves emitted by radio and television broadcasting and CB radio can disrupt the magnetic compass of migratory birds, those used in mobile communication networks do not because the frequencies are too high to affect their sense of orientation.Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
This finding also bolsters the researchers' theory that the magnetic compass sense in these birds is based on a quantum-mechanical effect located in their eyes. For this study, the team combinedMouritsen, Hore and colleagues had already demonstrated in 2014 that electrosmog in the AM radio waveband, such as that generated by household electrical appliances, impairs migratory birds' ability to use the Earth's magnetic field for orientation .
In the current study, the researchers took a closer look at the connection between the quantum-mechanical mechanism which they suspect forms the basis for the birds' magnetic sense and the disruption of this mechanism by radio waves. Their aim was to find further evidence of how the magnetic compass sense functions and thus provide a basis for further investigations into disruptive effects on the birds' migratory behavior.
These experiments showed that their magnetic compass stopped working when they were exposed to these radio frequencies, but worked properly without exposure. Blackcaps are long and medium-distance migrants that can cover long distances during their annual migration.
France Dernières Nouvelles, France Actualités
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