Magnetic field

We're a step closer to understanding how energy is spread across the Universe, with the most detailed map of intergalactic magnetism ever produced. It's more than five times larger than all earlier surveys combined.

Exactly how birds follow invisible maps around the globe has long eluded scientists – but in a first, scientists have discovered some surprising biological processes taking place inside pigeons that could change how we look at animal navigation.

A recent analysis reveals that a perplexing reversal in the outer core, more than 1,400 miles beneath the surface, began in 2010, and is now weakening once again. The findings point to events afoot deep within the very heart of our planet.

Many persistent sinus infections involve biofilms – colonies of bacteria that group together to resist efforts to kill them. Now, researchers have developed biofilm-blasting bots that could handily deal with these, and other, bacterial infections.

If you ever travel back in time around 41,000 years ago, pack some sunscreen. New research suggests that during a cataclysmic polar reversal, our ancestors might have covered themselves in mineral-rich ochre to survive harmful solar radiation.

A preserved tree fossil gives an unprecedented view into a moment 42,000 years ago when the Earth’s magnetic field went haywire, triggering environmental chaos, influencing everything from an increase in cave paintings to the Neanderthal extinction.

Researchers have developed a gene therapy technology that uses magnetic fields to control specific brain circuits. In addition to Parkinson’s disease, the tech could be used to treat conditions as diverse as depression, obesity, and chronic pain.

Scientists have developed the world’s strongest resistive magnet, which produced a steady magnetic field of 42 Tesla (T). The system could improve devices that use magnets, as well as enable a range of new experiments that probe electromagnetism.

A new two-step process that safely rewarms frozen tissues using nanoscale magnetic rods could preserve donor organs long-term. The procedure provides an alternative to current time-limited methods and paves the way for more life-saving transplantations.

Researchers have developed a remote, non-invasive method of selectively controlling neurons in the brain using magnetic fields. The technique opens the door to a greater understanding of brain function and, potentially, new treatments for disorders.

While millions of people who couldn't normally see the aurora took in the recent color-filled spectacle in the night sky, NASA's Solar Dynamics Observatory was looking straight at the sun to catch the action. The fiery footage is well worth a watch.

The Earth’s magnetic field is vital for life – without it, the Sun’s radiation would sterilize the planet. But a new study suggests we wouldn’t be here at all if that magnetic field hadn’t almost completely collapsed half a billion years ago.