How does a magnetic compass work? Well, it’s all down to basic physics and human ingenuity. The key component of a standard baseplate compass is its magnetized needle, which is allowed to spin freely ...

The magnetic compass is the last unknown sense in migrating animals. For some scientists, the monarch butterfly is leading ...

Fish, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and even a few mammals rely on magnetoreception for navigation. But the exact mechanism ...

Some inventions are so simple that it’s hard to improve them. The magnetic compass is a great example — a magnetized needle, a bit of cork, and a bowl of water are all you need to start navigating the ...

A ship’s steel hull becomes part of Earth’s magnetic field, which can quietly skew a magnetic compass in different directions as the vessel turns and heels. This explains how binnacle correctors work, ...

An international team of researchers led by Lancaster University has discovered a highly efficient mechanism for shaking ...

Earlier this year, scientists went into a dark barn in New Jersey, trapped some bats, and stuck them next a magnetic coil. Then, they tagged the flying mammals with a tiny electronic tag, and freed ...

James is a published author with multiple pop-history and science books to his name. He specializes in history, space, strange science, and anything out of the ordinary.View full profile James is a ...

“Magnets, how do they work?” asked Insane Clown Posse, a hip-hop duo, in their 2009 song “Miracles”. A flurry of recent papers suggests physicists did not quite have the full picture either. A new ...

The movement of the magnetic North Pole is the result of the Earth having an active core. The inner core, starting about ...

In a world filled with modern navigation tools, there is still a place where the humble compass can be used. Knowing how to make a compass, and teaching others how to make one, serves to develop a ...