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SciencePhysics & ChemistryWhat Are Venus Flytraps Doing With Magnetic Fields?
A team of researchers recently strapped a dismembered carnivorous plant to a sensitive instrument in Berlin, in a room that shuts out the world’s magnetic noise. It was a Venus flytrap’s “jaw”—really a specialized leaf—and when the team turned up the heat, the jaw summoned the energy to try to close. In that moment, a … Continued
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EartherEarth ScienceModels Can’t Keep Up With Migrating Magnetic North Pole—and the Government Shutdown Just Made It Worse
Rapid and erratic movements of Earth’s north magnetic pole have prompted an early update to a model that assists with navigation. The scheduled fix was supposed to happen on January 15, but the U.S. government shutdown has forced an unwelcome delay. The magnetic north pole is shifting at an unprecedented rate. Over the last 30 … Continued
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Tech NewsHateful Kitties, Space Lasers, Spider-Man, and Soundbars: Best Gizmodo Posts of the Week
We’re up for a big week in the news, folks. There’s a lot going to happen, from Apple’s big September 12th announcement event to the notably less fun Hurricane Florence, which is currently projected to barrel into the East Coast at a minimum Category 3 status or possibly even worse before the weekend. As the … Continued
By Tom McKay -
ScienceSpace & Spaceflight
Jupiter’s ‘Baffling’ Magnetic Field Is Unlike Any Other
Jupiter is strange for a number of reasons. It’s the biggest planet in our Solar System, of course. It harbors perhaps the most intense radiation environments. And, according to a new study, it has a magnetic field unlike that of any other known planet. NASA’s Juno orbiter, a basketball court-sized spacecraft, is observing the gas … Continued
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SciencePhysics & Chemistry
The Earth’s Magnetic Poles Are Not About to Flip, and Here’s Why
Despite recent panic surrounding the potential reversal of our planet’s magnetic poles, new evidence suggests it’s probably not the impending doom it sounds like. Implausible as it sounds, public worry about the poles flipping seems to be ever-present, typically backed by real evidence of the Earth’s magnetic field weakening. These outbreaks of concern almost always … Continued
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SciencePhysics & Chemistry
Scientists Are Building a Mini-Earth With 8 Tons of Spinning Liquid Sodium
Admit it, you don’t really understand why the Earth has a magnetic field. Sure, movement inside the Earth’s outer core is creating a electric current, generating a magnetic field through it. But what’s causing this movement? There’s tons that scientists still don’t know about our planet’s magnetosphere, and about planetary magnetic fields in general. There … Continued
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Tech News
What Was Going On With Earth’s Magnetic Field A Billion Years Ago?
We know about our North and South poles, but what about an East, West, or slightly-to-the-left pole? According to new research published in Geophysical Research Letters, around 1 billion years ago, that might have been a possibility. Peter Driscoll, a staff scientist at the Department of Terrestrial Magnetism at the Carnegie Institution of Washington, said … Continued
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Tech News
The Sun’s Magnetic Field Has Never Looked So Good
In photographs taken in the spectrum of visible light, the Sun’s magnetic field is invisible. But this image wasn’t taken in our familiar, visible wavelengths, which is why the Sun’s magnetic field is both apparent and beautiful. The bright white strands in this image are called coronal loops; they’re the lines of the Sun’s magnetic … Continued
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Tech NewsSploid
Extraordinary sky view shows orientation of our galactic magnetic field
It may have not found the Big Bang’s smoking gun, but the Planck mission in the South Pole has detected something important: The orientation of the galactic magnetic field—”this image represents the emission from dust, a minor but crucial component that pervades our Milky Way galaxy.” The texture indicates the orientation of the galactic magnetic … Continued
By Jesus Diaz -
io9
This Incredible Image Reveals the Shape of Our Galaxy’s Magnetic Field
What you’re seeing here are actually two aspects of our galaxy that your naked eye can’t perceive: its temperature, and its magnetic field. The colors show temperature, with dark red the hottest and dark blue the coldest. And the relief lines reveal the shape of the vast magnetic field that envelops our galaxy and protects … Continued
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Tech News
Mesmerizing Aurora in Dramatic Landscapes of Fire, Ice, and Shadow
Aurora are beautiful, but the fire and smoke of Bárðarbunga step it up to gorgeous. The weekend kicked off with the Earth putting on a glorious display of green, blue, purple, and red, and countless photographers braved varied terrain to capture the ephemeral light for your viewing pleasure. Top image: The soft glow of Bárðarbunga … Continued
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io9A Timelapse Of Our Planet’s Surprisingly Turbulent Magnetic Field
The ESA’s SWARM trio of satellites are up-and-running. Here’s a sweet animation put together using its first set of high-resolution scans showing the most recent changes in the magnetic field that protects our planet. This timelapse shows changes from January to June 2014. Our magnetic field is in a permanent state of flux; magnetic north … Continued
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Tech NewsThis Company Uses Earth’s Magnetic Field To See Inside Buildings
In some ways, it’s an ominous pitch. By measuring the “magnetic fingerprint” of any building in the world, the Finnish company IndoorAtlas can conjure up a startlingly precise indoor map of any building. It’s technology that sci-fi has dreamt of for decades. But instead of surveillance, it’s being used for shopping. According to The New … Continued
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io9
Here’s the Story Behind Those Lights at Saturn’s North Pole
Stunning ultraviolet images captured by the Hubble Space Telescope show bursts of light zipping around Saturn. These are aurorae, created as the planet’s magnetic field is battered by charged particles from the sun. Scientists studying the auroras say this latest data finally reveals the unseen dynamics in the choreography of the dancing lights. University of … Continued
By Mark Strauss -
Tech News
An Interplanetary Magnetic Dance
The Earth’s magnetic field is the original forcefield, a wall of electromagnetic force that protects us from high-energy charged particles spewed by our sun during solar eruptions. The dance between our field and the sun is dynamic and beautiful. Charged particles impacting on the magnetic field produce aurora. Image credit: N. Tsyanenko The solar wind … Continued
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Tech NewsSploid
Scientists: Dogs poop aligned to Earth’s magnetic field
Scientists at the University of Life Sciences in Prague have found that dogs are sensitive to Earth’s magnetism. In fact, they’re so sensitive that they poop aligned to the planet’s magnetic field. I don’t know what that means or why is it useful, but I find it fascinating. The research paper—published in the journal Frontiers … Continued
By Jesus Diaz
