I can sense magnetic fields of some strength through my nasal bone. Its like a metallic taste except its not where your taste buds are.
I don't know if its rare? I think most people just never held a magnet against their face.
I don't know if its rare? I think most people just never held a magnet against their face.
> I don't know if its rare? I think most people just never held a magnet against their face.
If it were not rare, and simply because most people haven't held a magnet against their nose, people would definitely feel it during an MRI scan, since those are much much much stronger than any regular magnet. An MRI will rip a nose piercing right out of you, a regular magnet you'd have around the home couldn't do that.
I don’t think they comprehend just how strong an MRI is. You don’t need to be inside the machine for it to be the strongest magnetic field you’ve experienced, that’s likely true if you’re in the room nearby. Sure it falls as the square of the distance, but those suckers are big. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kLjxhuybFWo
For comparison earths magnetic field is ~50 microtesla vs an MRI at 200,000 to 7,000,000, with 1.5 million microtesla (aka 1.5 T or 15,000 gauss) being common.
If simply waving weak magnetic fields in people’s faces were enough for anything close to 1% of people to notice then it would be common knowledge at this point.
When the signal is strong enough you don’t need careful experiments to pick out the difference. IE the rest of the universe outside of earth isn’t made of antimatter because our telescope’s aren’t on fire. https://what-if.xkcd.com/114/
In electromagnetic fields both an electric field and a magnetic field are produced. They are orthogonal to one another (in 2D with 2 vectors this is perpendicular, orthogonal is when the vector is in a different dimension with respect to multiple reference dimensions). So, detection of a magnetic field could be based on the detection of this orthogonal electric field in the presence of a magnetic field. Highly sensitive electrical detection cells triggered by a magnetic field would be orientation specific, because the more "out of orientation" the less strong the signal.
Also, we could easily have chalked this effect up to a "weird side effect" of metallic taste during MRI[0] which would be more pronounced when the head is moved during the MRI[1].
Hopefully it is clear now why "I think lots of people would have noticed it" is not a great argument against the possibility of humans evolving the detection of magnetic fields. Please let me know if I can clarify anything.
It’s obviously false, but I’m curious why you assume it would be the case.
As to your example, that’s well known even with only 1 in 20 people experiencing it, thus demonstrating my point.
1) The people operating the MRI are outside the magnetic field.
2) The patient in the MRI is oriented such that the magnetic field is directed from head to toe (where the effect on sensing apparatus in place which might detect earth's magnetic field while standing or sitting would be approximately zero, no matter the magnetic strength).
3) Instructions for the patient in the MRI are to remain as still as possible to reduce imaging noise. So, most patients do not move their head much at all.
I'm sorry you seem to be unwilling to even consider the physics, and apparently didn't bother to look at the second reference. I am also sorry that I am having trouble explaining concepts that most biomedical engineers readily understand as the reasons why "but MRI!" is not a valid argument. Regardless, I hope you have a wonderful weekend.
That’s not how magnetic fields work. It’s not some sci-fi force field that cuts off instantly, the field drops off quickly but it doesn’t disappear. Which is why as mentioned in your second link workers noticed the effect.
> unwilling to even consider the physics
Again, you’re seemingly unaware of the actual physics involved.
MRI’s operate via two different electromagnets which create magnetic fields. A really strong one which is on 24/7, and a separate field which is turned off and on in operation and thus doesn’t correlate with earths magnetic field.
So when you walk up to the machine you’re “in” the same giant field just as when you’re inside the machine (or even sitting in some other room in the hospital if we want to be pedantic). This is why it’s relatively common for chairs etc to be yanked across the room and smack into the machines.
And thus, if people could directly sense the orientation of earths magnetic field, being anywhere near an MRI would be a really obvious and novel experience.
When you walk up to the machine it's not turned on. Then non-participants go to the small enclosed control room and then the magnet is activated. Every time you respond you reveal how little you know about MRI and weaken your case. You should stop while you are behind.
Also, you should lookup faraday cage. They're like magic to someone who has never heard of them, and they're used in MRI control rooms.
I feel sorry for your apparent inability to accept you might be ignorant about anything. I hope you grow out of it one day. Enjoy your weekend, I won't be responding again.
False. MRI: https://mriquestions.com/is-field-ever-turned-off.html
Permanent magnet scanners are permanently "on" by definition.
Resistive electromagnet scanners, in theory, can be turned on and off. However, it may take 30-60 minutes for their magnetic fields to stabilize after being off and hence they are generally left continuously on during daily operations. To save electricity, they are usually turned off or have their power levels reduced after hours.
Superconducting scanners remain on at all times as long as superconducting temperatures are maintained. The main field may be ramped down for servicing in a controlled manner with minimal loss of cryogens in about 30 minutes and restored in a few hours, but this is performed only occasionally. In the event of an emergency, all superconducting scanners have a "quench" button that releases liquid helium into the atmosphere and turns their fields off within a few seconds. Dumping that helium is inherently expensive and only done in a serious emergency.
“Faraday cages cannot block stable or slowly varying magnetic fields, such as the Earth's magnetic field (a compass will still work inside one).” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage
> then the magnet is activated
A magnet not THE primary one. Here’s a reasonable though simplified explanation of why there’s multiple magnets involved: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NlYXqRG7lus
Anyway, it’s clear you have many fundamental misunderstandings so I can see how you’d come to such wildly inaccurate conclusions.
> it's impossible for any humans to be able to take advantage of the effect at lower field strengths.
The actual literature investigating the effect describes why it doesn’t work on earths magnetic field.
Maybe this source will clue you in as to why your understanding of MRI is fundamentally flawed:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4632105/
Good luck buddy.
But wallow in your ignorance, it brings a little dark joy knowing I am simply better than you in a real tangible way.
You’re unable to erase signs of your failure, and as long as HN lasts anyone can know my dominance.
All it takes is learning how the fundamental forces of the universe work.
Ok, in this context having a friend who works in medical imaging was useful, but that’s just a trivial matter.