Science & Technology

Human magnetic 'sixth sense' discovered

By T.K. Randall
June 27, 2016

Image: Compass
Credit: Shyamal / CC BY-SA 3.0 (adapted) Joe Kirschvink from the California Institute of Technology maintains that he has found repeatable and verifiable evidence that humans are able to sense magnetic fields.

Building on an earlier study which indicated these same abilities in other animals, Kirschvink carried out a trial involving a small group of 24 volunteers who were asked to sit inside a Faraday cage - a special enclosure which blocks electromagnetic interference.For the experiment the participants were exposed to a magnetic field while Kirschvink analyzed the electrical activity of their brains using an electrophysiological monitoring system.

While his findings have yet to be peer reviewed, he believes that the ability to detect magnetic fields stems from special magnetic receptor cells which act as 'compass needles'.

Further research is expected to be carried out in the near future to corroborate his results.

Source: Wired.co.uk

Tags: Sixth Sense, Magnet