magnetotaxisn.
/maɡˌniːtəʊˈtaksɪs/, U.S. /mæɡˈˌnɛdoʊˈtæksəs/, /mæɡˈˌnidoʊˈtæksəs/ Biology.
Movement of an organism in response to the direction of a magnetic field.
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the world > life > biology > biological processes > movement > movement in response to stimuli > [noun] > response to food source
trophotropism1884
trophotaxis1892
magnetotaxis1963
1963 New Scientist 21 Nov. 500/2 Similar manifestations of ‘magnetotaxis’ have hitherto been found only on the cockchafer.
1981 Sci. Amer. Dec. 44/3 Evidently only bacteria with magnetosomes exhibit magnetotaxis.
1993 Science 5 Feb. 803/2 Magnetotaxis in bacteria is the result of a permanent magnetic dipole moment that causes a cell to be oriented in the earth's geomagnetic field as it swims.
This is a new entry (OED Third Edition, March 2000; most recently modified version published online March 2022).
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n.1963