Geomagnetic Sensing System

很明显，许多动物都有探测地球磁场并确定其方向的能力。在视觉线索不可靠的环境中尤其如此，比如水下、地下或与陆地视觉接触不足的空中。尽管动物普遍具有感知地球磁场的能力，但我们还不知道这种传感器是什么样子的，或者它是如何工作的。研究人员发现，海蛞蝓可以探测到地球磁场，并根据磁场定位。它的大脑在一个活的、几乎自由活动的状态下是可以接近的，并且可以通过放置在神经元内部的电极来监测单个已识别的脑细胞对磁场变化的反应。本项目将尝试寻找磁性受体，在透射电子显微镜下观察其详细结构，并确定它们如何在Tritonia中起作用。据推测，这些细胞中可能存在微小的膜结合磁性颗粒，这些颗粒与细胞的内部骨架相连。牵引磁铁颗粒的磁场可能因此向细胞膜发出信号，并以这种方式产生通知大脑的电波。这个项目将为研究磁场如何改变细胞中含有这种粒子的动物的反应和行为提供新的见解。它还将通过与该项目相关的学徒培训计划，为对研究感兴趣的本科生提供培训经验。

Many animals are apparently capable of detecting and orienting to the earth's magnetic field. This is particularly true in environments where visual clues are not reliable, such as underwater, underground, or in the air out of visual contact with land. Despite the widespread existence of an ability to sense the earth's magnetic field in animals we do not yet understand what such a sensor might look like, or how it works. Researchers have found that the seaslug Tritonia detects, and orients to the earth's magnetic field. It's brain is accessible in a living, nearly freely behaving state, and permits monitoring responses to magnetic field changes in single identified brain cells, through electrodes placed inside neurons. This project will attempt to find the magnetic receptors, observe their detailed structure in the transmission electron microscope, and determine how they may work in Tritonia. It is hypothesized that there may be tiny, membrane bound magnetic particles in these cells that are connected to the internal skeleton of the cells. Magnetic fields tugging on the magnet particles may thereby signal the cell membrane, and in this way create an electrical wave that informs the brain. This project will provide new insights into how magnetic fields alter the responses and behavior of any animals having such particles in their cells. It will also provide a training experience for undergraduate students with an interest in research through an apprenticeship training program associated with the project.