Dawe AS, Smith B, Thomas DWP, Greedy S, et al. (2006):

These authors from the University of Nottingham for some time have been conducting experiments on the effect of radiofrequency radiation (RFR) on the C. elegans worm. In 1998 and 2000 they reported that low-intensity RFR could elicit a clear heat-shock response that was apparently non-thermal in nature.

Traceable calibration of their copper TEM cell at the UK National Physical Laboratory revealed significant power loss within the cell, which could cause heating. Several changes were recommended to the TEM cell, including silver-plating – the new cell was named the Ag cell, as distinct from the unmodified copper cell (the Cu cell). Subsequent observations showed that the temperature rise in the Cu cell was approximately 0.3°C at a power of 1.0W, and likely = 0.2°C at the power of 0.5W in samples exposed under standard conditions. Using the Ag cell, the authors could not find any evidence of a heat-shock response in exposed worms, compared to the sham-exposed controls. They also showed that a rise in temperature from 26 to 26.2°C was enough to produce a significant heat-shock response.

The authors concluded that their previous interpretation of a non-thermal response could not be sustained. They have submitted a retraction to the journal Nature, which published their 2000 paper.