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Habitability and the Evolution of Life Under Our Magnetic Shield
Earth’s global magnetic field likely dates back billions of years and is a barrier against cosmic radiation. What roles has it played in the planet’s biosphere?
Credit: Auntspray/Depositphotos.com
Earth’s magnetic field, in some ineffable respects, is reminiscent of the exquisite poem attributed to the semihistorical Buddhist monk Budai (sometimes referred to as Hotei), considered by some to be an incarnation of the future Buddha, Maitreya:
Maitreya! Maitreya!
Yet scarcely noticed. Hotei (as translated by Lucien Stryk and Takashi Ikemoto)
The geomagnetic field similarly permeates myriad aspects of life. For instance, a diverse range of organisms, from microscopic magnetotactic bacteria to all major groups of vertebrates, have evolved ingenious and intricate mechanisms to detect the magnetic field and to use this information for orientation and locomotion.