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- Frixionburne, on 07/10/2009, -0/+14Toxic to biological cells. That includes any living organism.
FTA: "That's because superoxides reduce longevity, so human evolution has put a premium on longer life spans instead of on better steering."
So maybe this means that by increasing the amount of superoxides and cryptochrome in our eyes, we could also see magnetic fields with the trade off of reduced longevity. If we could figure out a way to decrease the damage while increasing the toxic substances, this could be a possible operation. - Kahnza, on 07/10/2009, -1/+10I wanna see the magnetic field too!
- MMarquit, on 07/10/2009, -2/+11Toxic? To them? Or to us? Or both?
- WiseWeasel, on 07/10/2009, -0/+5There's an app for that!
/ducks - svendm, on 07/11/2009, -0/+4This is all very interesting, but the 'ooh toxic substance!' angle is a bit old. It's true that for a long time, biochemists were sceptical of biological reaction involving radicals (substances with an odd number of electrons), which produce other reactive species such as superoxides, because they're very reactive and hence toxic - they'll react with and damage other stuff in the cell.
That debate has been laid to rest though, since a number of biological radical reactions have been confirmed to exist. For instance RNR reductase, which turns RNA into DNA and allows us higher beings to exist (since DNA allows for longer chains, more genes)
In this case, it's not entirely surprising that a radical reaction was involved, because non-radical molecules aren't sensitive to magnetic fields, whereas a radical gets its highest electronic energy level split into two levels by a magnetic field (the Zeeman Effect). So it's not entirely unexpected that radicals (and a correspondlingly reactive substance) were involved.
This is not the only thing in the body of either birds or humans that creates superoxides though. And we've evolved defenses against it as well, in particular an enzyme called superoxide dismutase (SOD), which exists to dispose of hydrogen superoxide. - TBagwell, on 07/10/2009, -1/+4and did your self read the article?
- areyouserial, on 07/10/2009, -1/+4I hope this turns out to be a scientific explanation for humans who claim to see "auras", not that it would stop those people from believing in nonsense generally.
- ericthesalmon, on 07/10/2009, -0/+3Radicals like superoxide respond strongly to magnetic fields because of unpaired electrons, When superoxide gloms onto cryptochrome it tweaks it differently depending on the local magnetic field and the exact tweakyness of the cryptochrome determines the frequency of nerve signals sent from the eye to the brain.
- DAILYCROW, on 07/10/2009, -0/+2What if I see illness in someone and lack of vital energy fields? And the guy deep in the mountain wilderness, I met, lights up like a glowing holy man?
Am I psychotic or gifted? - Sveglio, on 07/10/2009, -0/+2So is it probable that birds develop ophthalmic problems over the years? Blindness or something...In such case they lose their entire vision...
And some of them do not even need magnetic, since they don't migrate. - intekra, on 07/10/2009, -0/+2Actually, it's an African Goshawk.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/African_Goshawk - Sveglio, on 07/10/2009, -1/+2It would be wonderful if those superoxides weren't toxic, or if we could cancel out the 'side-effects' of their toxicity, so that we could attain magnetic vision. I mean, I'm curious about it but maybe this ability is useless to us, and we don't need to intervene in nature if no serious reason exists.
- DAILYCROW, on 07/10/2009, -0/+1Yeah certain birds can hypnotize you! Wear a baseball cap to avert your gaze.
- areyouserial, on 07/10/2009, -0/+1It's not a dog, it's an uzi.
- Sveglio, on 07/11/2009, -0/+1No, this ain't "in other words". This is unsolicited. What makes you think that life is always adaptable or invincible?!
- DAILYCROW, on 07/10/2009, -1/+2Admit it, in layman's terms. The birds have an extra sensory perception. ESP
- svendm, on 07/11/2009, -0/+1Um, no. Magnetic fields exist and have been known to exist for several centuries. Whereas there's no evidence the ***** "energies" and "auras" ESP afficionados talk about exist at all.
The existence of electroreception in birds and mammals (monotremes; platypi) has been known for some time. The explanation found here uses some unusual chemistry, but follows the ordinary laws of physics.
So that's another thing explained by science, and still no evidence whatsoever for any 'ESP'. - consonance, on 07/10/2009, -1/+2O rly?
- Phasmorphage, on 07/10/2009, -1/+2damn that's good *****
- shylove, on 08/03/2009, -0/+1Humans have magnetic vision for pretty women...
- ericthesalmon, on 07/10/2009, -0/+1Vision is a sense, so it's just boring old intrasensory perception.
- pinguz, on 07/10/2009, -0/+1http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Geomagnetisme.sv ...
you're welcome - h3lx, on 07/10/2009, -3/+4They kinda skip over the whole "how they do it" bit... this protein bonds with this and then something happens and some signals are interpreted by the brain and viola, birds have a third eye tuned to magnetic fields.
Great theory, go isolate the gene sequence and replicate it in some lab rats and while they're getting tuned, try to find an layman's application that could benefit at least some of us. - d3dm, on 07/10/2009, -1/+2That's fluxing awesome!
- inactive, on 07/10/2009, -2/+2jeff goldbloom would have something to say about this
- DAILYCROW, on 07/10/2009, -2/+2Now to explain humans that see auras. Psychedelics can lend that power to people. How does it work? It is associated with mystical perceptions. Whats up with this stuff?
- veeesh, on 07/10/2009, -3/+3Whats next?... birds shooting red energy beams through their eyes?
- Xaevier, on 07/10/2009, -3/+3Dudeeee I can like totalllyyyy see the waves maaannn...
- 1x253, on 07/10/2009, -2/+2I'll have some of that stuff! But, what if doesn't work on humans? : ( What if it's really poisonous to humans? What if turns me into a (fill in the political affiliation you hate most)? Oh well, who am I to stand in the way of science; I'll have some anyway! I can live with a reduction in longetivity as long as I can SEE magnetic fields. I wonder if that would help to see what emotional state another person would be experiencing? : )
- scv4me, on 07/11/2009, -0/+0ooooooooooowl exterminators!
"were OWL exterminators!" :D - StarDust13, on 07/11/2009, -0/+0Quit that, you made my head hurt *walks away slowly while rubbing poor empty and unused brain cavity
- BossKey, on 07/10/2009, -1/+1aura ly?
- inactive, on 07/10/2009, -2/+1its not a bird its an owl
- inactive, on 07/10/2009, -3/+2So in other words we can pollute the earth all we want, life will find a way to take advantage
/s - skipvt, on 07/10/2009, -3/+2I see dead people.
- FXNGLAS, on 07/10/2009, -8/+7From the looks of the bird in the thumbnail photo, I'd believe that's the reaction of the toxic substance allowing it to see through Megan Fox's clothes.
- Ki77erB, on 07/10/2009, -3/+1Cryptochrome sounds like something from a comic book, and even more so when it causes one to see magnetic fields.
- s4g4n, on 07/10/2009, -7/+2That creepy image of a bird is creepy.
- sierra81, on 07/10/2009, -10/+3I don't care if the substance is toxic or not cause it doesn't affect me or the others, but I always asked myself how do these birds know how to reach so far places.
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