CONSTRAINTS OF THERMAL NOISE ON THE EFFECTS OF WEAK 60-HZ MAGNETIC-FIELDS ACTING ON BIOLOGICAL MAGNETITE

Previous calculations of limits imposed by thermal noise on the effect s of weak 60-Hz magnetic fields on biological magnetite are generalize d and extended to consider multiple signals, the possibility of anomal ously large magnetosome structures, and the possibility of anomalously small cytoplasm viscosities. The results indicate that the energies t ransmitted to the magnetite elements by fields less than 5 muT, charac teristic of the electric power distribution system, will be much less than thermal noise energies. Hence, the effects of such weak fields wi ll be masked by that noise and cannot be expected to affect biology or , therefore, the health of populations.