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Electromagnetic noise from AM broadcast signal could be disrupting the migratory flight paths of birds, say scientists
United Kingdom Created: 8 May 2014
Radio 5 Live could send robins on the wrong flightpath,So what are the true implications for Humans, if it does this to our birds??
Electromagnetic noise from AM broadcast signal could be disrupting the migratory flight paths of birds, say scientists
The popularity of stations such as Radio 5 Live could be causing migratory birds such as the robin to lose their way, scientists have suggested.
Researchers have found that robins' in-built compass is disturbed by electromagnetic "noise" emitted by AM radio transmitters.

Professor Henrik Mouritson, of the University of Oldenburg in Germany, said: “Every piece of equipment with a plug, when you plug it in, it’s going to make electromagnetic noise at some frequency range.
“If you could sense this it would probably be like some kind of rock concert going on all the time.”

Migratory birds can sense the Earth’s magnetic field and use it as an in-built compass to help them fly in the right direction.
It has long been suspected that electromagnetic noise made by humans could be interfering with their compass.

The team made the discovery after putting migrating birds in a cabin. Because birds are so eager to migrate, they will jump in the direction they want to fly.
However over three years, the team were surprised to find that none of the birds tried to fly in the correct direction.
But when they shielded the cabin against radio waves with aluminium, the birds began to jump in their usual migratory direction.

“The frequency that we found effects the birds is the radio frequency AM band, from about 50 kHz to about 5 mHz, and that means that it is not mobile phones and it’s not power line,” said Mouritson “It’s radio signals.”
“It may be a localised effect which only effects them when they are in towns and cities and as soon as they go out of town they are fine.”

The research was published in the journal Nature.
By Sarah Knapton, Science Correspondent
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Source: Agnes Ingvarsdottir

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