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Related Concept Videos

Compass01:23

Compass

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The compass is a fundamental instrument that operates by aligning its magnetic needle with Earth's magnetic field. This alignment facilitates navigation and orientation, offering a means to determine direction relative to magnetic north. However, the magnetic needle points to magnetic north, which differs slightly from true geographic north due to magnetic declination, which is the angular deviation between these two points. Declination varies based on geographic location and shifts over time...
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Magnetic Fields01:27

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A moving charge or a current creates a magnetic field in the surrounding space, in addition to its electric field. The magnetic field exerts a force on any other moving charge or current that is present in the field. Like an electric field, the magnetic field is also a vector field. At any position, the direction of the magnetic field is defined as the direction in which the north pole of a compass needle points.
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Some compounds produce hydroxide ions when dissolved by chemically reacting with water molecules. In all cases, these compounds react only partially and so are classified as weak bases. These types of compounds are also abundant in nature and important commodities in various technologies. For example, global production of the weak base ammonia is typically well over 100 metric tons annually, being widely used as an agricultural fertilizer, a raw material for chemical synthesis of other...
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A solenoid is a conducting wire coated with an insulating material, wound tightly in the form of a helical coil. The magnetic field due to a solenoid is the vector sum of the magnetic fields due to its individual turns. Therefore, for an ideal solenoid, the magnetic field within the solenoid is directly proportional to the number of turns per unit length and the current. Conversely, the magnetic field outside the solenoid is zero.
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Magnetic Field Lines01:19

Magnetic Field Lines

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The representation of magnetic fields by magnetic field lines is very useful in visualizing the strength and direction of the magnetic field. Each of the magnetic field lines forms a closed loop. The field lines emerge from the north pole (N), loop around to the south pole (S), and continue through the bar magnet back to the north pole.
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Energy In A Magnetic Field01:24

Energy In A Magnetic Field

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If a magnetic field is sustained, there must be a current in a closed circuit or loop, implying some energy has been spent in creating the field. If this energy is not dissipated via the circuit's resistance, it is stored in the field.
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A Compass at Weak Magnetic Fields Using Thymine Dimer Repair.

Theodore J Zwang1, Edmund C M Tse1, Dongping Zhong2

  • 1Division of Chemistry and Chemical Engineering, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, United States.

ACS Central Science
|April 11, 2018
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Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Birds may use DNA repair to sense Earth's magnetic field. This study shows cryptochromes and photolyases are sensitive to weak magnetic fields, suggesting a chemical basis for avian navigation.

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Area of Science:

  • Biophysics
  • Biochemistry
  • Animal Navigation

Background:

  • The mechanism by which birds sense Earth's magnetic field for navigation remains largely unknown.
  • Cryptochromes, proteins related to photolyases, are hypothesized to play a role in magnetoreception.
  • Photolyases are enzymes known to repair DNA damage.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of photolyase and cryptochrome in sensing magnetic fields.
  • To explore the chemical mechanisms underlying magnetic field sensitivity in biological systems.
  • To determine if DNA repair processes are influenced by weak magnetic fields.

Main Methods:

  • Electrochemical studies were conducted using an applied magnetic field.
  • The repair of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer lesions in DNA was monitored.
  • Photolyase, mutant photolyase, and modified cryptochrome were utilized in the experiments.

Main Results:

  • The yield of cyclobutane pyrimidine dimer repair was found to be dependent on magnetic field strength and angle.
  • This sensitivity was observed even with magnetic fields weaker than 1 gauss.
  • A fast radical pair reaction on thymines was identified as crucial for the repair process and magnetic sensitivity.

Conclusions:

  • DNA repair mediated by photolyase and cryptochrome is highly sensitive to weak magnetic fields.
  • These findings suggest a potential chemical mechanism for a biological compass in birds.
  • The study provides insight into how variations in Earth's magnetic field might be sensed through radical pair reactions during DNA repair.