The Effects of Environmental Conditions on Biological Systems. III. Life under the Influence of the Solar Activity, Electric and Geomagnetic Fields, and Atmospheric Pressure

Abstract

During the evolution, living organisms have developed a huge variety of mechanisms that allow them to survive in various unfavorable conditions. In the previous sections of this review, we examined in detail the features, which living systems have developed to protect themselves from ultraviolet radiation, various types of radio and ionizing radiation, and high temperature. We also examined the hazardous effects of several types of sound exposure (infrasound, acoustic, and ultrasound waves), and proposed ways to mitigate these effects. In this section, we will focus on the impact of some specific electromagnetic disturbances, particularly solar activity, on individual biomolecules, cells, and living organisms as a whole. We will also examine how the living systems can survive in extreme conditions: in hot springs, at the bottom of ocean trenches, and in other environments with low and high ambient pressure.