Whew! What a year we’ve had! It’s hard to believe that 2017 is already coming to a close. There have been a ton of exciting developments in the world of magnets this year, pushing the scientific community ahead. No matter how small the magnetic discovery, it could make a huge impact! Here are just a few of our favorite magnetic discoveries from the past 12 months.
Back in late August, while many of us were watching the solar eclipse, scientists were making huge strides in the magnetic world. Project 11, completed by National MagLab, took 2 ½ years and $3.5 million. The project resulted in a new 41.4 Tesla magnet 20 times stronger than those used in medical imaging machines. Why did they undertake this project? "It's about providing the scientific community access to high fields,” said the Director of the DC Field Facility, Tim Murphy.
The Amber Research Centre at Trinity College Dublin uncovered new magnetic materials using computer simulations. The new compound’s ability to maintain its magnetism at temperatures as high as 630° Celsius will make it an indispensable tool in some heavy-duty tech.
Near our planet’s poles, you can witness one of the most beautiful natural phenomena you can imagine: the auroras borealis and australis. While most auroras tend to follow a distinct pattern, a new aurora has burst onto the scene and is playing by its own rules.
Enthusiasts gave this new aurora a rather unusual name: Steve. Steve sets himself apart by running perpendicular to the earth unlike his relatives that run parallel. It was first thought that Steve was made of protons rather than the typical electrons, however, while this would explain Steve’s direction, the light wouldn’t be nearly as bright as his electron counterparts. Much is still unknown about this new aurora named Steve, but you can bet we’ll be staying on top of any new developments.
While humans typically travel a few miles to the nearest hospital to give birth, glass eels will cross hundreds, even thousands, of miles to reproduce. Once they’ve travelled all that way, how do they find their way back? Magnets of course! It was discovered that these eels have a sense for the magnetic fields of the earth known as magnetoreception. Researchers first found that Chinook salmon have this ability before discovering that eels did as well. Guess what: humans have a sense for it too!
We’re so glad to have the opportunity to continue reporting these discoveries by the world’s leading scientists and research groups back to you. We know 2018 will hold even more exciting findings! To stay on top of every new and exciting magnetic discovery, make sure to follow our blog.
