The migratory pattern of birds – even if it is a dry subject and the aim of comedic cracks – for some odd reason, has always held the high fascination of biologists.Never more so than now…
That’s because the classic experiments were so predictable. Such as a cage with some kind of monitors to catch which direction the bird wanted to travel at night.
That is, until it started going tragically wrong in the mid-2000s.
German researchers discovered in 2004 hat the regular experiment became an erratic mystery while observing the European Robin.
They would not orient themselves in a single direction. They would not hop in a direction. They were shut down. They were completely lost. Changing variables like food, light, cages…lots of things – didn’t do a thing according to biologist Henrik Mouritsen. For three years they tried to solve the mystery.
That’s when they realized they left out one important variable…an invisible one…
The electromagnetic noise coming from all the electronics on the nearby campus. They made a Faraday cage of sorts by using aluminum screens in the cages – the birds started jumping again.
It worked!
After spending so many years and so much research just to correct a problem occurring with the original experiment, the sure results presented a new problem to biology and the environment at large.
We are absolutely sure that the effect is real.
That’s why now, the results could be published just today in the journal Nature. Scarily enough – the levels affecting the birds are 1,000 times below WHO guidelines. Being so immersed in electronics it is going to be a difficult task finding out which electronics are causing birds to lose their way. It could be anything that has to be plugged in.
So far, the bird disorientation only happens in large urban and industrial areas or learning campuses. And they ruled out power lines or cellphone signals because the frequencies they emit are too low and too high respectively. But the frequency band range most responsible is 2 kHz – 5 MHz, which would include AM radio, and all area electronic equipment. It is absolutely baffling news to the physicists who will say as Mouritsen recounts, “that can’t have any effect.”
But he didn’t dwell in the realm of conventional physics – he stepped it up a notch to quantum mechanics.
”Theoretical predictions suggest that [the disruption] might be an effect of electron spins.” Electromagnetic noise might be affecting electron spins in a molecule named cryptochrome, Mouritsen says — the eye protein that some scientists believe plays a pivotal role in avian magnetic orientation. This could cause the molecule’s chemical properties to change, and the birds to lose all sense of direction at night. But the theory, Mouritsen warns, is “unproven.”
The findings have fascinated other researchers but some say that it’s not that big of a deal and the bird can leave the urban area in any direction to gather its bearings. Mouritsen sees it as a growing problem of high electromagnetic radiation that could be reduced by some means.
So it’s not just a matter of adaptation. Do birds know to stay away from the city? Will they? Mouritsen doesn’t know but says, “I’m sure the birds would have been better off if one of their key compasses had never been disturbed.”
This certainly wouldn’t be the first time animal patterns have been “off” in recent years. It is commonly thought that bees, birds, dolphins and other animals are highly sensitive to electromagnetic radiation. So one would think a little more forethought would go into forays like Navy testing experiments around the world. While cell towers seem to be ruled out of the above experiment, they are certainly implicated for having a detrimental effect on mammals.
A couple years ago, I tried to make sense of all the dolphin deaths – like the ones that wound up off the shores of Peru. I speculated because I didn’t buy the theory that they just suddenly decided to do it and everyone followed the leader. That was a long time ago and thousands more have died under mysterious circumstances – yet “more research” is always needed.
No, the innate intelligence of animals is much too underestimated; much too disregarded. For the first time ever, they have lost their way.
But where will they go when there is no more room to adapt? Why should they be stretched to the brink of no more adaptation to begin with?
About the Author
Heather Callaghan is a natural health blogger and food freedom activist. You can see her work at NaturalBlaze.com and ActivistPost.com. Like at Facebook.
http://www.naturalblaze.com/2014/05/birds-are-losing-their-way.html
Comments
Dear Avtar,
yes, when I was very young as a child we were observing that so many birds were going always in their own lines, one after the other...so many lines you could see....and was thinking how they can understand the equal distant to fly all in lines and groups with total synchronicity....And they were going due to their Electromagnetic lines...in exact grids...of their way....
Now what since long there is difficult to see birds flying in city area.....and your reason is 100 % right....because of polution of electro magnetic atmosphere this is the problem for birds...
Sohiniben.
Thank you, Tally but I was not spectacular...I was just one of many who played in the band.
Bravo! So... you were spectacular then... and you are now. : )
Well, I did not think I was good enough for solos since there were quite a few other flautists who'd been trained from a very young age whereas I hadn't. I will say this though at several of our competitions we won the trophy not that my contribution had anything to do with it but it was a lot of fun.
That's cool, I like to vocalize with the stereo too... : ) I'm sure your chanting is having effects. You must've been pretty good on the flute/piccolo to be asked to do the solos so much.
The only vocalizing I do is with the stereo. :) I do some chanting but I wonder how effective it because my dogs do not seem to like it. LOL I wanted to play the alto sax but my band teacher insisted I play the flute and piccolo. I really enjoyed it but he'd always have me play the solos which I was not fond of doing.
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Interesting Avatar... how you were much into the band and choir... I took band, (trombone, baritone) a few years leading up to high school, and some music theory at a Junior College, with a touch of sight-singing... but I still use the voice a lot in healing work, prayers, singing, etc. I find it one of the most enjoyable and effective "tools of the trade". Do you ever do much "vocalizing" these days?
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The chemicals they put in our foods are going to kill us off.
I really do not understand some people today. Why in the world would you not want your children to have musical lessons especially if they're free? Geez From the time I was in 3rd grade through high school I was always in the choir AND band now most schools only have band [we must have marching bands for the football halftime show]....no more choirs. I really wanted my children to be able to take choir because children need to know what their voices are capable of.
my young niece is starting high school and already way overweight. When younger, I tried to warn her and her brother about drinking blue energy drinks and aspartame and high fructose corn syrup and etc. etc. etc.... I think her brother may have listened because he hides the pills they give him for restlessness instead of taking them and isn't fat. That crap wasn't in food for my generation, but now I know of only one brand of ice cream that has real sugar (bad enough) instead of corn syrup for sweetener. They are both into cell phones and glued to video games, but their Mom discouraged them from having their uncle (me) give them violin, viola, of cello lessons for free. My niece demonstrated perfect pitch a four years old! But free violin lesson, nooo! Discouragement from Mom. They could of both been skilled musicians by now. My nephew wanted to play the bass viol, but nooo! video games and cell phones...what a waste! Monsanto is pure evil, by the way.
Exactly, Phylos! Just like Monsanto getting away with genetically modifying our foods with roundup in them. There is no telling how many things that stuff kills.
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