Biomagnetism is the phenomenon of magnetic fields produced by living organisms; it is a subset of bioelectromagnetism

Bioelectromagnetism

Bioelectromagnetism refers to the electrical, magnetic or electromagnetic fields produced by living cells, tissues or organisms. Examples include the cell membrane potential and the electric currents that flow in nerves and muscles, as a result of action potentials...

. The study of the biological effects of magnetic fields is magnetobiology

Magnetobiology

Magnetobiology is the study of biological effects of mainly weak static and low-frequency magnetic fields, which do not cause heating of tissues. Magnetobiological effects have unique features that obviously distinguish them from thermal effects; often they are observed for alternating magnetic...

. (The word biomagnetism has also been used loosely to include magnetobiology, further encompassing almost any combination of the words magnetism and biology.)

The origin of the word biomagnetism is unclear, but seems to have appeared several hundred years ago, linked to the expression "animal magnetism." The present scientific definition took form in the 1970s, when an increasing number of researchers began to measure the magnetic fields produced by the human body. The first valid measurement was actually made in 1963, but the field began to expand only after a low-noise technique was developed in 1970. Today the community of biomagnetic researchers does not have a formal organization, but international conferences are held every two years, with about 600 attendees. Most conference activity centers around the MEG (magnetoencephalogram), the measurement of the magnetic field of the brain.

Prominent Researchers

• David Cohen
  David Cohen (physicist)
  David Cohen is known mostly for his pioneering work in the area of Biomagnetism , where he made many of the first measurements....
  
  
• John Wikswo
  John Wikswo
  John Peter Wikswo, Jr. is a biological physicist at Vanderbilt University. He was born in Lynchburg, Virginia, United States.Wikswo is noted for his work on biomagnetism and cardiac electrophysiology.-Graduate school:...
  
  
• Samuel Williamson

Conferences

• Biomag2010, the 18th International Conference on Biomagnetism, Dubrovnik, Croatia from Sunday, March 28-April 1, 2010.
• Biomag2008, the 16th International Conference on Biomagnetism, Sapporo, Japan, August 25–29, 2008
• Biomag2006, the 15th International Conference on Biomagnetism, Vancouver, BC, Canada, August 21–25, 2006
• Biomag2004, the 14th International Conference on Biomagnetism, Boston, Massachusetts, USA, August 8–12, 2004
• Biomag2002, the 13th International Conference on Biomagnetism, Jena, Germany, August 10–14, 2002
• Biomag2000, the 12th International Conference on Biomagnetism, Helsinki, Espoo, August 13–17, 2000
• Biomag1998, the 11th International Conference on Biomagnetism, Sendai, Japan, August 28-September 2, 1998
• Biomag1996, the 10th International Conference on Biomagnetism, Santa Fe, New Mexico, February 16–21, 1996
• Biomag1993, the 9th International Conference on Biomagnetism, Vienna, Austria, August 14–20, 1993
• Biomag1991, the 8th International Conference on Biomagnetism, Munster, Germany, August 19–24, 1991
• Biomag1989, the 7th International Conference on Biomagnetism, New York, New York, USA, August 13–18, 1989
• Biomag1987, the 6th International Conference on Biomagnetism, Tokyo, Japan, August 27–30, 1987

Popular Culture

• X-Men: The character "Magneto" has powers which attract metal and metal based solids.

Further reading

• Williamson SH, Romani GL, Kaufman L, Modena I, editors. Biomagnetism: An Interdisciplinary Approach. 1983. NATO ASI series. New York: Plenum Press.
• Cohen, D. Boston and the history of biomagnetism. Neurology and Clinical Neurophysiology 2004; 30: 1.

See also

• Magnetocardiography
  Magnetocardiography
  Magnetocardiography is a technique to measure the magnetic fields produced by electrical activity in the heart using extremely sensitive devices such as the Superconducting Quantum Interference Device...
  
  
• Magnetoencephalography
  Magnetoencephalography
  Magnetoencephalography is a technique for mapping brain activity by recording magnetic fields produced by electrical currents occurring naturally in the brain, using arrays of SQUIDs...
  
  
• Magnetogastrography
  Magnetogastrography
  Magnetogastrography is the science of recording magnetogastrograms . Magnetogastrograms are recordings of magnetic fields resulting from electrical activity from the stomach and can be considered similar to electrocardiograms. The magnetic fields are typically recorded using SQUIDs.-External links:*...
  
  
• Bioelectrochemistry
  Bioelectrochemistry
  Bioelectrochemistry is a branch of electrochemistry concerned with topics like cell electron-proton transport, cell membrane potentials and electrode reactions of redox enzymes.-History:...
  
  
• SQUID
  SQUID
  A SQUID is a very sensitive magnetometer used to measure extremely weak magnetic fields, based on superconducting loops containing Josephson junctions....
  
  
• Magnetoception
  Magnetoception
  Magnetoception is the ability to detect a magnetic field to perceive direction, altitude or location. This sense plays a role in the navigational abilities of several animal species and has been postulated as a method for animals to develop regional maps.Magnetoception is most commonly observed in...
  
  - sensing of magnetic fields by organisms