Scientific Background
THE EXPECTED EFFECTS OF SOLAR AND GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY ON THE ELECTRIC INFRASTRUCTURE:
The Report on the "First Annual World Summit on Infrastructure Security” 2010 incl. excerpts of Joseph McClelland's presentationProtecting our Critical Infrastructures: Legislative and Regulatory OptionsJoseph McClelland is Director, Office of Electric Reliability, U.S. Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC)
BBC Newsnight report presented by Susan Watts:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/newsnight/9020059.stm
MAGNETITE BIOMINERALIZATION IN THE HUMAN BRAIN
- J L Kirschvink,
- A Kobayashi-Kirschvink, and
- B J Woodford
Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA
Vol. 89, pp. 7683-7687, August 1992
Biophysics
Although the mineral magnetite (Fe3O4) is precipitated biochemically by bacteria, protists, and a variety of animals, it has not been documented previously in human tissue. Using an ultrasensitive superconducting magnetometer in a clean-lab environment, we have detected the presence of ferromagnetic material in a variety of tissues from the human brain. Magnetic particle extracts from solubilized brain tissues examined with high-resolution transmission electron microscopy, electron diffraction, and elemental analyses identify minerals in the magnetite-maghemite family, with many of the crystal morphologies and structures resembling strongly those precipitated by magnetotactic bacteria and fish. These magnetic and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy measurements imply the presence of a minimum of 5 million single-domain crystals per gram for most tissues in the brain and greater than 100 million crystals per gram for pia and dura. Magnetic property data indicate the crystals are in clumps of between 50 and 100 particles. Biogenic magnetite in the human brain may account for high-field saturation effects observed in the T1 and T2 values of magnetic resonance imaging and, perhaps, for a variety of biological effects of low-frequency magnetic fields.
http://www.pnas.org/content/89/16/7683.short
THE EFFECTS OF SOLAR AND GEOMAGNETIC ACTIVITY ON HEALTH:
Distribution of monthly deaths, solar (SA) and geomagnetic (GMA) activity: their interrelationship in the last decade of the second millennium: the Lithuanian study 1990-1999.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/12653184
Clinical cosmobiology: distribution of deaths during 180 months and cosmophysical activity. The Lithuanian study, 1990-2004. The role of cosmic rays.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17998801
Geomagnetic activity and enhanced mortality in rats with acute (epileptic) limbic lability.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1428225
Admissions of patients with epileptic seizures (E) and dizziness (D) related to geomagnetic and solar activity levels: differences in female and male patients.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/1809861
Monthly number of preterm births and environmental physical activity.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/17715570
Sudden unexpected death in epileptics following sudden, intense, increases in geomagnetic activity: prevalence of effect and potential mechanisms.
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/7601551
THE EFFECTS OF GEOMAGNETIC STORMS ON ECONOMICS:
Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
Working Paper 2003-5 PDF
February 2003
Playing the Field: Geomagnetic Storms and International Stock Markets
Anna Krivelyova, Boston College
Cesare Robotti, Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta
This paper documents the impact of geomagnetic storms (GMS) on international stock market returns. For most of the countries in our sample we find that the previous week’s unusually high levels of geomagnetic activity have a negative and statistically and economically significant impact on today’s stock returns. Our results are consistent with changes in risk-taking behavior caused by depressive disorders, since GMS have been found to substantially increase the incidence of depression and other psychological disturbances among people.
