Working several years on the measurement and analysis of Light Induced Absorption Changes in plants and fungi (LIACs), we expanded this idea to gravisensing, searching for (minute) Gravity Induced Absorption Changes (GIACs). The basic idea is that any stimulus such as light or gravity which is discerned by an organism, consequently causes some kinds of molecular change which could be spectroscopically detectable. For this purpose, we designed a novel, highly sensitive micro dual wavelength spectrophotometer [1,2] and we detected the first GIACs in laboratory bound experiments simply by tilting gravisensitive specimen (Phycomyces, coleoptiles of maize, oat and Arabidopsis [2]) into the horizontal position (a crude test for GIAC-activity). This was the starting point of our activities between 2000 and 2012 to come: eleven parabolic flight campaigns (PFCs, [1-5]), a drop tower campaign [6] and two sounding rocket campaigns (Nov. 2009 and a second one in March 2013, to be published).

During our recent PFCs, we observed a till then unexplainable small but significant variability of the measuring signals (GIACs). As discussed here, these discrepancies could be finally traced back to the various flight directions, because these, in turn, are inevitably associated with changes of the earth’s magnetic field. The ability to respond to magnetic fields is ubiquitous among the five kingdoms of organisms. E.g., Palmer [7] reported that the green alga Volvox aureus swims parallel to the horizontal component of the earth’s magnetic field (H_x as discussed in the present case below). Except for the various forms of orientation of mammals, migrating birds and microorganisms, so far, no biological advantage of any other magneto response is immediately obvious. Thus, most studies as the present one remain largely on a phenomenological level and typically lack mechanistic insight. Even if ferritin has been found in Phycomyces [8], it only has been discussed in magneto reception of various other specimens such as bacteria [9], eusocial insects [10] or honey bees [11]. Besides the present study, so far no physiological and biochemical reactions in Phycomyces blakesleeanus to magnetic fields have been reported. In addition to ferrimagnetism which is well-known in bacterial magneto taxis [9] and animal navigation [12], there are two further mechanisms discussed: 1) the “radicalpair mechanism” relying on the singlet-triplet intercon-version rates of a radical by weak magnetic fields [13], or 2) the “ion cyclotron resonance” mechanism [14]. According to this, ions should circulate in a plane perpendicular to an external magnetic field with their Lamor frequenccies. This will interfere with an alternating electromagnetic field like in parabolic flight maneuvers. Both mechanisms might provide the physical basis of future investigations of biological magneto reception.

Using two three-dimensional magnetic sensors, we detected a clear-cut correlation of GIACs and particularly the H_x component of the magnetic field of the earth, i.e. as a function of flight direction, i.e. the azimuth angle. During a flight day, the AIRBUS ZERO G conducts 31 parabolas, each of which lasts about three minutes including a period just under half a minute of weightlessness.