Earth’s magnetic field is often described as a steady shield, but the geological record tells a more restless story. Polarity flips, when magnetic north and south swap places, happen several times per ...

Roughly 42,000 years ago, Earth’s magnetic field weakened dramatically during the Laschamps geomagnetic excursion, allowing more cosmic radiation to reach the atmosphere. In a peer‑reviewed study of ...

There is wide consensus among climate scientists that the Earth is warming and that humans directly contributed to this change by burning fossil fuels. Pole reversals have occurred several times in ...

A perfectly preserved ancient tree fossil offered scientists an unprecedented view into a moment 42,000 years ago when the Earth’s magnetic field went haywire. The compelling 2021 study tells the ...