Effects of Radio-Frequncies on Different Strains of C. Elegans

Overview

With the rapid increase in cell phones and portable digital communication, exposure to radio-frequencies (RF) has become a health concern. This study examined the effects of radio-frequencies from a Wi-Fi router on five specific strains of C. elegans. These strains were wild type, daf-9, nlg-1, cat-2, and tph-1, which were chosen to get a range of different mutants related to stress and sensory defects. I hypothesized that C. elegans would demonstrate some avoidance or population decline when cultured in close proximity to 2.4 GHz RF. The basic materials of the experiment were 60mm seeded agar plates, five of each C. elegans strain mentioned above, a Wi-Fi router (2.4 GHz Wireless-G Broadband Router), and a Faraday bag that would block out all external radiation for control plates. Plates from the experimental groups were placed within 3.0-9.0 cm (based on the plate diameter) of the router and the control plates were placed in the Faraday bag. All plates and the router were stored in a metal drawer to block external RF sources. Population growth was documented by counting the number of worms per plate at given intervals. Avoidance was measured via migration away from the router by counting worms on the near side and far side of each 60 mm plate. Three strains (wild-type, daf-9, and tph-1) migrated away from the source. All stains showed population declines but none were significant with p-values less than 0.05. The results marginally support the hypothesis that radio-frequencies have a detrimental effect on the population growth. The hypothesis that the radio-frequencies generated by the router would cause an avoidance reaction by creating a migration away from the source of the RF was supported for three of the C. elegans strains. In this case, it is the general population of wild type, the serotonin deficient tph-1 and the stress resistant daf-9 that showed the greatest sensitivities to the radio-frequency as measured by migratory behavior in culture plates.

Competition history

• AJAS 2019 Category not listed

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