A new study conducted by researchers from the University of Nottingham in England revealed that the Earth's magnetic field may affect how the body's cells produce energy, physical performance, and even the lifespan of the organism.
The findings, published Wednesday in the aging research journal Aging, provide new insights into how this invisible force interacts with basic biological processes in the body, which may have important implications for our understanding of the aging process and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
The researchers attributed these effects to mitochondria, which are tiny structures inside cells responsible for generating a large portion of the energy needed for life. Energy metabolism in mitochondria changed when the magnetic field was reduced, as did levels of superoxide, a highly reactive molecule produced by mitochondria.
Researcher Jacob Reed, a doctoral student at the University of Nottingham, said: “Research in this field is rare, as it mostly focuses on preparing humans for spaceflight. However, we still know very little about why living organisms need a magnetic field. This project combined expertise in physics, engineering and biology, and innovative and highly specialized techniques and equipment, to study physiological and pathological aspects as well.”
He added in a statement on Wednesday: “This work opens new potential horizons for a non-surgical therapeutic approach targeting mitochondria to treat several diseases.” “We hope that this research will contribute to highlighting the importance of magnetic fields for life.”
Blocking the magnetic field
The research team studied what happens when the Earth's magnetic field is almost completely blocked. Using a specially designed magnetic shielding system, the researchers reduced the magnetic field surrounding the fruit fly to near zero. They compared healthy flies with those carrying a defect in the PINK1 gene, which is linked to early-onset hereditary Parkinson's disease in humans.
The researchers found that isolating flies from the Earth's magnetic field led to changes in the functions of mitochondria, which are the centers of energy production in the cell, lifespan and physical performance, with a striking difference in effects depending on the health status of the flies' mitochondria.
According to them, the results were remarkable; Blocking the Earth's magnetic field from flies carrying a mutation in the "PINK1" gene increased their average lifespan by about 20 percent, despite a decline in their physical performance. In contrast, the response of healthy flies was completely different; Although the length of his healthy life was affected, his movement improved.
Scientific research is conducted on the fruit fly because it provides a quick and simple living model that shares a large percentage of its basic genes with humans, and about 60 to 75 percent of the genes that cause diseases, including neurological diseases. The fruit fly has a very short life cycle of no more than two weeks, which allows scientists to monitor the effect of genetic mutations across several generations in a short time.
The results of these experiments show that the magnetic environment surrounding an organism can affect basic biological processes, including energy production, physical performance, and life expectancy.
Professor Lisa Chakrabarti, Professor of Mitochondrial Biology at the School of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of Nottingham, commented: “We live our entire lives in the presence of the Earth’s magnetic field. “It penetrates our bodies, our cells, and every living thing on the planet. However, we know little about whether and how this invisible force influences how our cells work.”
She added: “Our results raise an interesting possibility, which is that the Earth’s magnetic field forms part of the biological environment to which life has adapted over the course of evolution,” explaining that “understanding how cells sense and respond to magnetic fields may ultimately reveal new ways to control mitochondrial functions in aging and disease.”
