Earth’s magnetic poles may wander due to ocean currents

October 3rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have put a certain controversy to rest, by ascertaining that in ancient times, the Earth's magnetic field was structured like the two-pole model of today, which suggests that the methods geoscientists use to reconstruct the geography of early land masses on the globe are accurate. The findings may lead to a better understanding of historical continental movement, which relates to changes in climate.

September 17th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new study, scientists have found that auroral bright spots on the planet Jupiter are caused by the magnetosphere of its innermost moon - Ganymede. As Ganymede and Io orbit Jupiter, they interact with regions of plasma and generate electromagnetic waves that are projected along Jupiter's magnetic field lines towards Jupiter's poles where they cause auroral bright spots.

September 11th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Atmospheric scientists from the UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) have discovered a previously unknown basic mode of energy transfer from the solar wind to the Earth's magnetosphere, a finding that could improve the safety and reliability of spacecraft that operate in the upper atmosphere. "It's like something else is heating the atmosphere besides the sun.

September 7th, 2009 LONDON - In a new research, it has been determined that rocky worlds have to be about the size of Earth to be conducive for life. According to a report in New Scientist, the discovery of extrasolar super-Earths - rocky planets about five to ten times the mass of Earth - has raised hopes that some may harbour life.

September 4th, 2009 WASHINGTON - In a new research, a team of scientists has for the first time observed magnetic monopoles and how they emerge in a real material. The research was done by scientists from the Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin fur Materialien und Energie, Germany, in cooperation with colleagues from Dresden, St.

July 8th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A team of researchers at the Universitat Autonoma de Barcelona (UAB) have come up with a device called a dc metamaterial, which makes objects invisible under certain light. The device does so, according to the researchers, under very low frequency electromagnetic waves by making the inside of the magnetic field zero, but not altering the exterior field.

July 4th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have performed numerical calculations that show how convective mixing flows in the Earth's liquid outer core can cause the geomagnetic dipole to collapse. For the past 160 years, the Earth's magnetic dipole has been weakening at a rate of nearly six percent per century.

June 24th, 2009 PARIS - Astronomers, using the NARVAL spectropolarimeter of the Bernard-Lyot telescope in France, have obtained the first detection of a magnetic field on the bright star Vega. According to an article in the journal Astronomy and Astrophysics, astronomers clearly observe the magnetically-induced effect in the spectrum of Vega, thereby showing that the star possesses a magnetic field, something unknown so far.

June 24th, 2009 LONDON - Homing pigeons have fascinated humans for many years through their uncanny ability to find their way home from thousands of miles away. Now, researchers claim to have found the reason behind it.

June 16th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Scientists have discovered a 'magnetic superatom', which one day may be used to create molecular electronic devices for the next generation of faster computers with larger memory storage. Found by a team of Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) scientists, the 'magnetic superatom' is a stable cluster of atoms that can mimic different elements of the periodic table.

June 15th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new research by scientists in the US has linked variations in the Earth's magnetic field with the ebb and flow of the world's oceans. The origin and mechanism of the Earth's magnetic field are amongst the biggest unsolved questions in the earth sciences.

May 30th, 2009 WASHINGTON - A new study has suggested that the Sun is slowly stealing Earth's atmosphere, with our planet's main solar defense acting as a double agent, aiding and abetting the thievery. According to a report in National Geographic News, typically hailed as a protective buffer from the sun's brute power, Earth's magnetosphere is actually helping the sun's energized particles strip away a tiny fraction of Earth's atmosphere.

May 29th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Using data from NASA's THEMIS mission, a team of University of Alberta researchers has pinpointed the impact epicenter of an earthbound space storm as it crashes into the atmosphere, and given an advance warning of its arrival. The team's study reveals that magnetic blast waves can be used to pinpoint and predict the location where space storms dissipate their massive amounts of energy.

April 1st, 2009 LONDON - Stopped watching horror movies because of recurring nightmares? Well, don't give up on your 'telly-diet', for the reason behind the eventful nights is the Earth's magnetic field. According to Darren Lipnicki, a psychologist formerly at the Center for Space Medicine in Berlin, Germany, there's a correlation between the bizarreness of dreams and extremes in local geomagnetic activity, reports New Scientist.

March 30th, 2009 LONDON - A bunch of Arctic explorers have found a rather 'saucy' tool to navigate their way to the North Pole-a pair of lacy underwear for the ladies. The Catlin Arctic Survey are using a pair of lady's knickers to help them with directions after compasses failed to work.