In 1842, mathematician and physicist Samuel Earnshaw laid out a theorem that states that it’s impossible to project a magnetic field into empty space: any magnetic field found in nature will always be centered on the physical object that’s producing it. But a team of scientists set about theorizing how one could circumventread more

Researchers with the European Space Agency (ESA) are reporting that a peculiar oddity in the Earth’s magnetic field known as the South Atlantic Magnetic Anomaly is weakening faster than the rest of the planet’s magnetic field, and may well be showing signs of splitting into two distinct regions. First discoveredread more

Every year millions of birds make heroic journeys guided by the earth’s magnetic field. How they detect magnetic fields has puzzled scientists for decades. Now biologists have figured out how they do it–they’ve found tiny magnets inside their ears.

These magnetic cells, called hair cells, are responsible for detecting sound and gravity.

What are birds saying? The world is full of them–of one kind or another (NOTE: Subscribers can still listen to this show).

Charles Darwin speculated that "The sounds uttered by birds offer in several respects the nearest analogy to language." Language, he thought, might have had its origins in singing, which "might have given rise to words expressive of various complex emotions."read more