With the popularization of TVs and mobile phones, a lot of radio waves are flooded around us. Whether radio waves affect the physiology of animals has been controversial in the past. For example, there were rumors a few years ago that radio waves from mobile phones may cause cancer. But studies have shown that the energy of radio waves is too weak to cause DNA damage to the extent that it causes cancer. Nevertheless, some researchers believe that radio waves still have an effect on animals, but it may affect them in subtle ways.
A recent discovery seems to prove that radio waves can indeed affect the biological clock of cockroaches. If this finding is confirmed, it means that radio waves will also affect other animals.
In order to verify whether radio waves have an effect on the activities of cockroaches, a Czech scientist stocked cockroaches under dim ultraviolet light (it is convenient to observe the activities of cockroaches with instruments that detect ultraviolet light). After shielding all visible light, there is no clue to let them. Know whether it is day or night. Then by measuring their activities to determine whether their biological clock is synchronized with the outside world.
He found that when cockroaches were exposed to a static magnetic field or radio waves much lower than the frequency of a cell phone signal, their activity cycle was extended by one to two hours. In other words, the cockroach’s biological clock is slow.
Previously, another experiment proved that low-frequency radio waves can affect the orientation of small migratory birds.
There may be a correlation between the two experimental results.
We know that birds are oriented by the geomagnetic field; and radio waves are electromagnetic waves. In a cycle, electromagnetic waves have electric fields and magnetic fields. The detection of magnetic fields by birds is achieved through a protein called “cryptochrome”; cryptochromes play a key role in maintaining the circadian rhythm (ie, biological clock) of animals.
Therefore, it is unscientific to exaggerate the effects of radio waves on animals, but it is also inappropriate to completely deny the effects.
