An invisible magnetic force could be making some people age faster, according to a study from the University of Nottingham. Researchers protected fruit flies from Earth's magnetic field and found the shielded flies lived around 20% longer than unprotected flies.
How the study was carried out
Scientists used two groups of fruit flies. One group was allowed to roam in a contained space outside, while the other was kept inside a nickel iron box that blocked almost all of Earth's magnetic field. Because previous research suggested magnetic fields can affect mitochondria – the tiny structures that provide cells with energy – they tested two types of fly: healthy ones, and others with a faulty gene called Pink1, which causes their mitochondria to malfunction.
What the results showed
The results found that the Pink1 flies lived around 20% longer inside the shield, although their ability to move and climb declined. Healthy flies, meanwhile, became better climbers when shielded from Earth's magnetic field, but did not live longer.
The findings suggest Earth's magnetic field could play a role in ageing, but its effects may depend on the health of an organism's mitochondria. Researchers said much more work is needed to establish whether anything similar happens in humans.
What the researchers said
“We live our entire lives within the Earth’s magnetic field,” said Prof Lisa Chakrabart, who co-led the study. “It passes through our bodies, our cells and every living organism on the planet, yet we know surprisingly little about whether and how this invisible force affects the way our cells work.”
Earth's magnetic field is generated largely by molten iron moving around in the planet's outer core. Scientists already know that some animals, including migratory birds, can detect Earth's magnetic field and use it to navigate. But more work is needed, they say, to work out its full effects.
“Research in this area is sparse, focusing mainly on how migrating animals sense magnetic fields,” said doctoral candidate Jacob Reed, a co-author of the study. “Yet we still know very little about why all living organisms need or don’t need a magnetic field to function normally in the first place.”
