Fabiana Bueno Discussion 15h Magnetite can have potentially large impacts on the brain due to its unique combination of redox activity, surface charge, and strongly magnetic behavior. We used magnetic analyses and electron microscopy to identify the abundant presence in the brain of magnetite nanoparticles that are consistent with high-temperature formation, suggesting, therefore, an external, not internal, source. (paper source: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2016/08/31/1605941113)

Originally shared by Fabiana Bueno (Now it's official we are all screwed .... But, We have the intellect to prospect projects to a better future for all mankind.) ~ A toxic particle found in polluted urban areas can infiltrate the brain, potentially contributing to degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, according to new research. READ: Magnetite pollution nanoparticles in the human brain - Author Paper Abstract Biologically formed nanoparticles of the strongly magnetic mineral, magnetite, were first detected in the human brain over 20 y ago. We identify the abundant presence in the human brain of magnetite nanoparticles that match precisely the high-temperature magnetite nanospheres, formed by combustion and/or friction-derived heating, which are prolific in urban, airborne particulate matter (PM). Because many of the airborne magnetite pollution particles are <200 nm in diameter, they can enter the brain directly through the olfactory nerve and by crossing the damaged olfactory unit. This discovery is important because nanoscale magnetite can respond to external magnetic fields, and is toxic to the brain, being implicated in production of damaging reactive oxygen species (ROS). Because enhanced ROS production is causally linked to neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s disease, - paper source: http://www.pnas.org/content/early/2016/08/31/1605941113 - you can also read article here: http://time.com/4480016/air-pollution-health-effects/ exposure to such airborne PM-derived magnetite nanoparticles might need to be examined as a possible hazard to human health.  Toxic Air Pollution Can Penetrate the Brain: Study