P3.5
Influence of solar activity upon biosphere
Natali A. Temuryants, Taurida National University, Simferopol, Crimea, Ukraine; and V. Boris M., M. Victor S., and B. Olga
Influence of Solar Activity upon Biosphere 1B. M. Vladimirsky , 2N. A. Temuryants , 3V.S. Martynyuk, 4O.Brusil
1Crimean Astrophysical Observatory, Crimea, Ukraine 2 Taurida National V.Vernadsky University, Simferopol, Ukraine, e-mail: timur@tnu.crimea.ua 3 Crimean Scientific Center of NAS of Ukraine, Simferopol, Ukraine, e-mail: csc@tnu.crimea.ua 4Department of Neurology, Keizer Permanent Medical Center, Los Angeles, USA, e-mail: brusil@aol.com
At present, changes in practically all physiological system of humans - nervous, endocrine, cardiovascular, blood, etc. - have been correlated with changes in solar activity (Vladimirsky, Temuryants, 200). Serious indications exist that variations in solar activity may affect embryogenesis. Simultaneously, similar tendencies were found when results from other areas of biology had been analyzed. For example, statistically significant data exists indicating that solar activity affect avian navigation apparatus (Schreiber, Rossi, 1979), proliferation of clams Crenomytilus grayanus (Zolotarev, 1974), crab catch on the West Coast of the United States (Caming, 1984) and herring (Clupea harengus harengus) catch in Norway (Protasov et el, 1982) and so on. Thus, we are faced with a general tendency in the biological systems, which for the first time was recognized by Chizhevsky and that is that dynamical changes in various biological processes depend on solar activity. Research in recent decades has accumulated additional data with regard to effects of solar activity in physical and chemical laboratory systems. These studies follow the works pioneered by G. Piccardi.
In general, accumulated empirical data on possible connection between biological processes and variations of solar activity is extensive and, for the most part, are concordant (although such data was gathered independently in different areas of biology) and, without a doubt, reflects real processes. Skepticism expressed towards results that have been obtained in the course of investigations is driven, in our opinion, by an assumption that all changes that have been made possible by solar activity are very "insignificant".
The fact that this erroneous point of view is not sustainable became apparent following formalization of the concept of the "biological action of microdoses" of various physical and chemical agents (Burlakova, 1999). Results of the conducted experiments clearly demonstrated that life-supporting processes are susceptible to some utterly miniscule doses ("microdoses") of, for instance, background ionizing radiation (Kuzin, 1991, Kuzin et al, 1994). Even exclusion from the natural background radiation of such isotope as potassium-40 impacts life-supporting activity of plants. The change in activity of a certain biologically active compound depends on its concentration and has a characteristic representation. The biological effect decreases as concentration decreases (region of classical effect) and following the "silent region" the biological effect reappears again ("microdose" zone). It has been shown that this correlation is of the same type regardless of the physical and chemical nature of agents exerting their effects.
Cellular and molecular mechanisms that mediate the influence of weak physical fields of cosmic and geophysical genesis on living organisms are key problems that demand answers. Nevertheless, it can be said of the research projects discussed herein that an important ecological role of natural electromagnetic fields has been established. Quite feasibly, the same factor plays a visible role in classical biometeorology, as all synoptic processes are accompanied by variations of electromagnetic fields and these variations, it seems, contribute to the human reaction to weather changes (Assman, 1966).
It’s seems to us it is advisably to found ISB special Study Group to coordinate this type investigation.
Poster Session 3, Poster Session: Aerobiology
Wednesday, 30 October 2002, 12:00 PM-1:00 PM
Previous paper Next paper