Thoughts on magnetic fields and life on planets.

[unusually_wrong]

After reading about Jupiter's magnetic field on ScienceAlert, I remembered another article about tree bark and magnetic anomalies (links below). I also remembered an article on birds being able to see magnetic fields as well. It got me thinking of how and if life is possible on anything other than a dipolar planet.What are your thoughts on this and my apologies if this is posted in a wrong section.
https://www.sciencealert.com/jupiter-magnetic-field-asymmetrical-great-blue-spot-juno-strange-dynamo

https://science.gsfc.nasa.gov/691/cv/kletetschka/Trunks.pdf

 

[anorlunda]

It is true that radiation from the solar wind would be harmful to life as we know it. But non-carbon based life forms have been discussed many times on past PF threads. Lacking details, its hard to say how sensitive they might be to radiation.

It is also true that we have life on Earth at the mid-ocean vents so deep in water as to be unaffected by radiation at the surface.

So it comes down to the perpetually elusive problem, Provide an all-inclusive definition of life.

 

[unusually_wrong]

I mean more of a planet with multiple magnetic poles. I wonder how anything from single cell to just plant life would be affected (not by the radiation, but the magnetic fields themselves).

 

[anorlunda]

See https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1546763 from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geomagnetic_reversal

That implies that Earth had multiple pole pairs at least transiently during pole reversal events. Since we are here, that is evidence that it did not wipe out life on Earth. But it does not prove that it did not have some effect.

 

[unusually_wrong]

Sure, but we're mostly a dipolar planet. I speak of planets that are multipolar.

 

[jim mcnamara]

I cannot find anything on the topic. Since you insist on multipolar planets and worded your title the way you did, which says 'let us speculate', I'm moving the thread to GD. It is not science-based. We want verifiable research from journals and standard textbooks.

 

[jim mcnamara]

The only article (not published) is noted here: https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn4985-solar-wind-to-shield-earth-during-pole-flip/
This means the paper had problems, since it did not make it into publication. As far as I can tell.

The pop science article says that during pole flip ( when there are multiple poles), Most of the solar wind is still deflected.

So we do not have any real reason to consider multipole planets this way, it appears. Plus, no good publications really being the primary reason.

 

[rootone]

Multiple magnetic poles while possible is an unstable condition that can't last very long.
I tried it with fridge magnets and always they collapse to something stable.