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Food & Drink

Cellphones may be killing bees, disrupting food supply

By Jon Sufrin
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Can you hear me now? (Image: David  Blaikie)
Can you hear me now? (Image: David Blaikie)

In addition to making humans dumber, cellphones might be contributing to an ecological and culinary disaster known as electrosmog. Indian researchers recently released a study that links cellphone radiation to the drastic drop in bee populations occurring throughout Europe and North America. The implications of a rapidly declining bee population are far-reaching, seeing as how about one third of the food we eat depends on pollinators, according to bee expert Laurence Packer from York University. That includes apples, avocados, nuts and squash, to name just a few.

The study involved outfitting two bee hives with mobile phones: one with a dummy set and the other with an active set that was powered on for two 15-minute intervals per day for three months. At the end of the study period, researchers found that the bees living among the active phones had stopped producing honey and that the queen bee had laid significantly fewer eggs. Some scientists theorize that cellphone radiation wreaks havoc on bees’ navigational systems.

No word yet on the effect of annoying ring tones on the ecosystem.

• Mobile phones responsible for disappearance of honey bee [Telegraph] • Are Cell Phones Killing Bees and Threatening Our Food Supply? [Take Part]

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