Geomagnetic Field Effects on Living Systems

The existence of the Earth’s magnetic field (geomagnetic field, GMF) is indispensable for the origin and evolution of life. In this chapter, the authors review the current understanding of the effects of fluctuations and variations of the GMF on living organisms. They discuss the further possibility that the effects of the GMF on living organisms. The authors propose a hypothesis for explaining the link between the GMF reversals and the extinction and evolution of life on Earth and make proposals for future research. Plants known to sense light of various wavelengths, respond to gravity, and respond to contact and electrical signals are subject to the effects of the GMF. The GMF has changed on different time scales in geological history, and the present normal polarity started around 774 thousand years ago (774 ka) during Chibanian (~774–129 ka). Literally, the disturbance of the GMF is called a “geomagnetic storm.”