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    magnetic field tagged posts

    Hidden magma oceans could shield rocky exoplanets from harmful radiation

    January 16, 2026, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    Illustration of a super-earth shown with cross-sections revealing the deep layer of molten rock known as the basal magma ocean that could produce magnetic fields for super-earths.
    UNDER ARMOR? Deep layers of molten rock inside some super-earths could generate powerful magnetic fields—potentially stronger than Earth’s—and help shield these exoplanets from harmful radiation. (University of Rochester Laboratory for Laser Energetics illustration / Michael Franchot)

    Deep beneath the surface of distant exoplanets known as super-Earths, oceans of molten rock may be doing something extraordinary: powering magnetic fields strong enough to shield entire planets from dangerous cosmic radiation and other harmful high-energy particles.

    Earth’s magnetic field is generated by movement in its liquid iron outer core—a process known as a dynamo—but larger rocky worlds like super-Earths might have solid or fully liquid cores that cannot produce magnetic fields in the sam...

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    Inspired by Squids and Octopi, a New Screen Stores and Displays Encrypted Images Without Electronics

    September 17, 2024, Categories  Physics, Technology/Electronics

    This screen stores and displays encrypted images without electronics
    Holding the screen up to an array of magnets of different strengths can rewrite the magnetic properties of the pixels in targeted areas of the screen. Different arrays of magnets will program different images into the device. Credit: Jeremy Little, Michigan Engineering

    A flexible screen inspired in part by squid can store and display encrypted images like a computer—using magnetic fields rather than electronics. The research is reported in Advanced Materials by University of Michigan engineers.

    “It’s one of the first times where mechanical materials use magnetic fields for system-level encryption, information processing and computing...

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    Plant-based Materials give ‘Life’ to Tiny Soft Robots

    October 25, 2023, Categories  Biology/Biotechnology, Health/Medical, Physics, Technology/Electronics

    Soft robot in a maze

    A team of University of Waterloo researchers has created smart, advanced materials that will be the building blocks for a future generation of soft medical microrobots.

    These tiny robots have the potential to conduct medical procedures, such as biopsy, and cell and tissue transport, in a minimally invasive fashion. They can move through confined and flooded environments, like the human body, and deliver delicate and light cargo, such as cells or tissues, to a target position.

    The tiny soft robots are a maximum of one centimetre long and are bio-compatible and non-toxic. The robots are made of advanced hydrogel composites that include sustainable cellulose nanoparticles derived from plants.

    This research, led by Hamed Shahsavan, a professor in the Department of Chemical Engine...

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    Plate Tectonics Not Required for the Emergence of Life

    June 19, 2023, Categories  Astronomy/Space

    Plate tectonics involves the horizontal movement and interaction of large plates on Earth’s surface. New research indicates that mobile plate tectonics—thought to be necessary for the creation of a habitable planet—was not occurring on Earth 3.9 billion years ago. (University of Rochester illustration / Michael Osadciw)

    The finding contradicts previous assumptions about the role of mobile plate tectonics in the development of life on Earth. New finding contradicts previous assumptions about the role of mobile plate tectonics in the development of life on Earth. Moreover, the data suggests that ‘when we’re looking for exoplanets that harbor life, the planets do not necessarily need to have plate tectonics,’ says the lead author of a new paper.

    Scientists have taken a journey ba...

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