It should come as no surprise that the naturally occurring mineral magnetite is among the most magnetic materials on Earth. It has a wide scope of uses from refrigerator magnets to electricity generation in power plants. But it may surprise you have billions of magnetite crystals inside your head, and your brain synthesizes them.
Though present in such significant numbers, researchers are still not sure what function magnetite crystals fulfill in the brain’s operation. Some scientists have determined that magnetite may have a function related to long-term memory. In living organisms from magnetotactic bacteria and honey bees to dolphins and homing pigeons, magnetite nanocrystals are believed to be linked to the animal’s navigational and homing abilities according to the earth’s magnetic field— a so-called “biological compass” also referred to as magnetoreception.
Though such studies have not yet been carried out on human subjects, science has proven that earth’s magnetic field has an effect on people’s moods and our capability to learn. Scientists have also begun to correlate the earth’s magnetic field to intuitive abilities. This may seem implausible, but evidence may even show that these crystals are like miniature antennae that connect our brains not only to each other’s brains but also to the planet.
Magnetite as Antennae
To begin, let’s consider the facts regarding the magnetite crystals inside our brains. Unfortunately, there aren’t that many such facts. Research identifying magnetite’s presence in brain tissue was first published in 1992. It including the surprising discovery that the highly magnetic microcrystals are synthesized in our bodies. While nobody knows for sure its exact role in brain function, some fascinating hypotheses have been proposed.
A 2009 theory suggested that magnetite has a significant function regarding long-term memory. The theory proposes that internal brain communication is carried out on the cellular level using magnetic signals. This theory suggested that magnetite crystals act as miniature antennae and simultaneously send and receive communications in and among different areas of the brain. Magnetite crystals also act as receivers that pick up on electromagnetic fields outside the brain, including the earth’s geomagnetic field. Here’s where things get interesting: A growing body of research is increasingly establishing fundamental connections between cognitive function and magnetic fields.
Low-Frequency Magnetic Fields
Research physicist and electromedicine pioneer Robert C. Beck published the preliminary results of his research in 1978 into how human subjects’ moods are affected by magnetic fields of extremely low frequency (ELF). Beck wrote that exposure to ELF magnetic fields of 6.67 cycles per second or lower produces physical reactions including headaches, mild nausea, fear, tension, depression, anxiety, and confusion. Higher frequencies of 7.8 cycles per second and above have the same stress- and anxiety-reducing effect as meditation.
Since then, magnetic fields have successfully been used in a clinical setting to treat bipolar disorder and depression. More than 1,300 medical research articles on the subject have been published so far. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation, a non-invasive treatment, uses a magnet to target and stimulate certain areas of the brain to control moods and decrease depression. These methods and procedures may set the stage for innovative new treatments and therapies.
Magnetic Fields and Telepathy
Led by Dr. Michael Persinger, a group of multidisciplinary researchers at Laurentian University in Greater Sudbury, Ontario, Canada explored the role of electromagnetic forces in multiple mental activities. Dr. Persinger was a neuroscientist who contended that all cognitive phenomena, including spiritual experiences, human consciousness, and paranormal incidents, are explainable using physical terms.
Dr. Persinger began researching the effects of electromagnetic fields on biological organisms in 1971. Some of his later studies sounded straight out of science fiction. He proved in a laboratory setting that magnetic brain stimulation creates a mental state that stimulates human telepathy. One experiment separated two people in different rooms, with each person surrounded by identical magnetic fields. When a light flashed in one room, the brain of the subject in the other room responded as though they had also seen the light flash.
Dr. Persinger believed it was significant because it demonstrated a so-called quantum entanglement, which may provide a new method of communication with physical applications in space travel and other environments.
Remote Viewing
One of Persinger’s particularly curious findings resulted from his study of remote viewer Ingo Swann, a psychic spy who worked for the Central Intelligence Agency’s Cold War-era Stargate Project. Remote viewers claimed they could use clairvoyance to see far-off locations as though they were present, and were not bound by time. Ingo Swann was among the first, and allegedly most accurate, remote viewers in the Stargate Project. Dr. Persinger measured the electromagnetic activity of Swann’s brain during viewing sessions and noted that Swann’s most accurate viewings correlated with a spike in his brain activity at 7 Hz. Dr. Persinger concluded that it seemed as though Swann was capable of projecting his consciousness by tuning into Earth’s ambient magnetic waves.
On a more significant scale, a correlation between the planet’s magnetic forces and a broad range of effects across large populations has been shown. One study in 2003 found substantial empirical evidence of the effects of geomagnetic storms on stock returns, as well as proof of significantly higher returns throughout the world during quieter periods of geomagnetic activity. Additional research links geomagnetic activity to birth rates, heart disease, and suicide rates.
More unusual is “the Schumann resonance”—the electromagnetic frequency of the Earth’s atmosphere between the planet’s surface and its ionosphere. The frequency of this ambient wave is 7.83 Hz. The Schumann resonance is frequently referred to in alternative and New Age consciousness theories. Research by Dr. Persinger showed that the Schumann resonance frequency is detectable in normal human brain activity. The frequency also falls within Dr. Beck’s previously discussed stress- and anxiety-reducing ELF magnetic frequencies.
There are fascinating connections between our brains and the shared magnetic field of our planet. Our brains certainly respond to magnetic fields on both a local and a planetary scale. There’s no undeniable proof that magnetite is involved, but it sure seems to be likely. What other psychic superpowers may be unlocked when we learn how to harness the power of those tiny antennae in our brains?