Baker R R, Mather J G, Kennaugh J H
Nature. 1983 Jan 6;301(5895):79-80. doi: 10.1038/301096b0.
Studies on the interaction of magnetic fields and biological organisms have centred on the influence of applied magnetic fields on the physiology and behaviour of organisms, including humans, and a search for magnetic sources within the organisms themselves. Evidence continues to accumulate that a wide range of organisms, from bacteria to vertebrates, can detect and orient to ambient magnetic fields (for examples see refs 2-4). Since the discovery that magnetic orientation by bacteria was due to the presence within the organism of magnetic particles of the ferric/ferrous oxide, magnetite, the search has begun for other biogenic deposits of inorganic magnetic material and ways in which the possession of such material might confer on the organism the ability to orient to ambient magnetic fields. Such magnetic material, often identified as magnetite, has been discovered in bees, homing pigeons, dolphins and various other organisms, including man. A variety of hypotheses for the use of magnetite in magnetic field detection have been proposed. We report here that bones from the region of the sphenoid/ethmoid sinus complex of humans are magnetic and contain deposits of ferric iron. The possible derivations and functions of these deposits are discussed.
关于磁场与生物机体相互作用的研究主要集中在施加的磁场对包括人类在内的生物机体的生理和行为的影响，以及在生物体内寻找磁源。越来越多的证据表明，从细菌到脊椎动物等广泛的生物都能检测并定向于周围的磁场（例如，见参考文献2 - 4）。自从发现细菌的磁定向是由于生物体内存在铁/亚铁氧化物磁性颗粒——磁铁矿以来，人们就开始寻找其他无机磁性材料的生物成因沉积物，以及拥有这种材料可能赋予生物定向于周围磁场能力的方式。这种通常被鉴定为磁铁矿的磁性材料已在蜜蜂、信鸽、海豚以及包括人类在内的各种其他生物中被发现。人们已经提出了多种关于磁铁矿在磁场检测中用途的假说。我们在此报告，人类蝶骨/筛窦复合体区域的骨骼具有磁性且含有三价铁沉积物。本文讨论了这些沉积物可能的来源和功能。
