Latest news with #SanjaPanovska


New York Post
15-07-2025
- Science
- New York Post
Hear the chilling sounds of Earth's north and south poles reversing 780K years ago — could it happen again?
Earth spins, shifts, and now… flips? Our planet's gymnastics routine continues underneath our feet nearly every day, but researchers at the Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences in Germany recently mapped what they say is one of the most 'drastic events in the evolution of Earth's magnetic field' — the Matuyama-Brunhes reversal, which took place 780,000 years ago. A significantly lower intensity magnetic field could provide less protection from radiation in space. European Space Agency Advertisement The magnetic field, which extends up into the atmosphere, is generated by a layer of ever-shifting liquid metals underneath Earth's surface. It protects the planet's inhabitants from extreme cosmic and solar radiation, but it has also been harnessed in various technological projects. Using ice cores, sediment samples and marine specimens, the team constructed a model of the field pre-flip, and animated the reversal. Three violins, three cellos and a synthesizer make up the sonic side of the project, mirroring the lurching veer that happens as the fields are in flux. Advertisement Though the sound is almost pleasant at first, the reversal sees a sudden shift in tone, leading to what the team called a 'disharmonic cacophony.' Several years back, scientists tracking the planet's geomagnetic fields began to notice some oddities, sparking panic among the general population. The abnormalities occurred mostly in the South Atlantic. A magnetic switch of this size would have consequences, but primarily because society and technology are inextricable. GPS interference, power grid interruptions, and satellite failures are several of the most pressing issues that humanity would face. This is what the magnetosphere could look like from space, though in real life, it's invisible to the naked eye. NASA/Goddard Space Flight Center Scientific Visualization Studio Advertisement 'Based on similarities with the recreated anomalies, we predict that the South Atlantic Anomaly will probably disappear within the next 300 years, and that Earth is not heading towards a polarity reversal', said Andreas Nilsson, a geologist at Lund University, in a study on a potential field reversal. Since the 1830s, the intensity of Earth's magnetic field has diminished by 10 percent, but according to experts at the United States Geological Survey (USGS), paleomagnetic studies show that during a reversal, it decreases by up to 90 percent. 'A reduced intensity in the magnetic field does not necessarily mean that a reversal is about to occur. Moreover, the decrease in intensity is not a dramatic departure from normal,' added the USGS. 'For all we know, the field may actually get stronger at some point in the not-so-distant future.' Advertisement 'Understanding these extreme events is important for their occurrence in the future, space climate predictions, and assessing the effects on the environment and on the Earth system,' said Sanja Panovska, a researcher from the Helmholtz Center for Geosciences.
Yahoo
15-07-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Sound of Earth's Flipping Magnetic Field Haunts Again From 780,000 Years Ago
In 2024, researchers transformed readings of an epic upheaval of Earth's magnetic field flipping 41,000 years ago into an eerie, auditory experience. Now a team containing some of those same scientists has sonified an even earlier flip, from epochs ago. The resulting cacophony is an unnerving translation of geological data on the Matuyama-Brunhes reversal, a switching of the planet's magnetic poles that took place roughly 780,000 years ago. Geophysicists Sanja Panovska and Ahmed Nasser Mahgoub from the Helmholtz Centre for Geosciences (GFZ) created a global model of Earth's magnetic field during the event, based on ancient magnetic data in sediments from drill cores around the world. This data was then visualized by Maximilian Arthus Schanner and sonified by Klaus Nielsen and Schanner. Related: Earth's magnetic field is generated by the roiling liquid metals deep beneath the crust. Extending tens to hundreds of kilometers into space, the field deflects atmosphere-stripping particles, keeping us all safe below. The bombardment of solar radiation that leaks through during reversals raises levels of beryllium-10 in Earth's atmosphere, which in turn can be preserved in ice core samples. Measuring fluctuations in these isotopes then serves as a handy measure of the field's weakening. The data shows that when Earth's magnetic poles get restless, they don't just cleanly trade places, but stagger about in slow motion, splitting into blobs and drunkenly merging. The resulting random bubbling of numerous magnetic polarities across the planet is aptly visualized in the animation. Our early human ancestors, such as Homo erectus, lived through this event, which was thought to last up to 22,000 years (although this estimate is still debated). It's likely there were some kinds of consequences to our ancient relatives and other life on Earth at the time, since the magnetosphere protects us from cosmic and solar radiation. Other magnetic field wanderings have been linked to dramatic changes in climate. But the exact consequences from almost 800,000 years ago remain unclear, as anthropological records around this time are sparse. Boldly etched into the flow of solidifying lava across Earth, the Matuyama-Brunhes event is used by geologists as a marker of the beginning of the Middle Pleistocene. In sound form, it's a haunting song that set the stage for the emergence of modern humans. Extreme Conditions of Early Universe Recreated in Collider Experiment Dark Matter Search Could Lead Us to a New Kind of Star 3D Time Could Solve Physics' Biggest Problem, Says Bizarre New Study
Yahoo
30-05-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Sound of Earth's Flipping Magnetic Field Is an Unforgettable Horror
Earth's magnetic field dramatically flipped roughly 41,000 years ago. We can now experience this epic upheaval, thanks to a clever interpretation of information collected by the European Space Agency's Swarm satellite mission. Combining the satellite data with evidence of magnetic field line movements on Earth, geoscientists mapped the Laschamps event and represented it using natural noises like the creaking of wood and the crashing of colliding rocks. The resulting compilation – unveiled in 2024 by the Technical University of Denmark and the German Research Center for Geosciences – is unlike anything you've ever heard. Generated by the swirling liquid metals in our planet's core, Earth's magnetic field reaches tens to hundreds of thousands of kilometers into space, protecting us all by deflecting atmosphere-stripping solar particles. As the iron and nickel inside our planet shift, so does Earth's magnetic field, meaning the North (and South) Poles are also constantly on the move. Recently, the position of the magnetic North Pole was officially changed, as it continues its shift away from Canada and towards Siberia. In its current orientation, the magnetic field lines form closed loops that are directed south to north above the planet's surface, and then north to south deep within it. Yet every so often the field randomly flips its polarity. Were this to happen again today, our north-pointing compasses would point to the South Pole. The last such cataclysmic event occurred about 41,000 years ago, leaving a signature in the Laschamps lava flows in France. As the field weakened to only 5 percent of its current strength the reversal process allowed a surpluss of cosmic rays to pass into Earth's atmosphere. Ice and marine sediment preserve isotopic signatures of this higher-than-normal solar bombardment, with levels of beryllium-10 isotopes doubling during the Laschamps event, according to a study published last year. These altered atoms are formed when cosmic rays react with our atmosphere, ionizing the air and frying the ozone layer. With global climate change being a potential consequence, it's speculated the extinction of Australia's megafauna as well as changes in human cave use may have been associated with this event. "Understanding these extreme events is important for their occurrence in the future, space climate predictions, and assessing the effects on the environment and on the Earth system," German Research Center for Geosciences geophysics Sanja Panovska explained at the time. It took 250 years for the Laschamps reversal to take place and it stayed in the unusual orientation for about 440 years. At most, Earth's magnetic field may have remained at 25 percent of its current strength as the north polarity drifted to the south. Recent magnetic field anomalies like the weakening over the Atlantic ocean have led to questions about an impending reversal today, but recent research suggests these anomalies are not necessarily connected to flipping events. The South Atlantic anomaly is, however, exposing satellites in the area to higher levels of radiation. Since 2013, ESA's Swarm constellation has been measuring magnetic signals from Earth's core, mantle, crust, oceans, ionosphere, and magnetosphere so we can better understand our planet's geomagnetic field and predict its fluctuations. An earlier version of this article was published in October 2024. World-First Study Reveals How Lightning Sparks Gamma-Ray Flashes The Universe Is 'Suspiciously' Like a Computer Simulation, Physicist Says Seismic Waves From Intense Storms Can Ripple Through Earth's Core
Yahoo
14-02-2025
- Science
- Yahoo
Earth's Flipping Magnetic Field Heard as Sound Is an Unnerving Horror
Earth's magnetic field dramatically flipped a little more than 40,000 years ago. We can now experience this epic upheaval, thanks to a clever interpretation of information collected by the European Space Agency's Swarm satellite mission. Combining the satellite data with evidence of magnetic field line movements on Earth, European geoscientists mapped the so-called Laschamps event and represented it using natural noises like the creaking of wood and the crashing of colliding rocks. The resulting compilation – unveiled in 2024 by the Technical University of Denmark and the German Research Center for Geosciences – is unlike anything you've ever heard. Generated by the swirling liquid metals in our planet's core, Earth's magnetic field reaches tens to hundreds of thousands of kilometers into space, protecting us all by deflecting atmosphere-stripping solar particles. In its current orientation, the field lines form closed loops that are directed south to north above the planet's surface, and then north to south deep within it. Yet every so often the field randomly flips its polarity. Were this to happen again today, our north-pointing compasses would point to the South Pole. The last such cataclysmic event occurred about 41,000 years ago, leaving a signature in the Laschamps lava flows in France. As the field weakened to only 5 percent of its current strength the reversal process allowed a surpluss of cosmic rays to pass into Earth's atmosphere. Ice and marine sediment preserve isotopic signatures of this higher-than-normal solar bombardment, with levels of beryllium-10 isotopes doubling during the Laschamps event, according to a study published last year. These altered atoms are formed when cosmic rays react with our atmosphere, ionizing the air and frying the ozone layer. With global climate change being a potential consequence, it's speculated the extinction of Australia's megafauna as well as changes in human cave use may have been associated with this event. "Understanding these extreme events is important for their occurrence in the future, space climate predictions, and assessing the effects on the environment and on the Earth system," German Research Center for Geosciences geophysics Sanja Panovska explained at the time. It took 250 years for the Laschamps reversal to take place and it stayed in the unusual orientation for about 440 years. At most, Earth's magnetic field may have remained at 25 percent of its current strength as the north polarity drifted to the south. Recent magnetic field anomalies like the weakening over the Atlantic ocean have led to questions about an impending reversal today, but recent research suggests these anomalies are not necessarily connected to flipping events. The South Atlantic anomaly is, however, exposing satellites in the area to higher levels of radiation. Since 2013, ESA's Swarm constellation has been measuring magnetic signals from Earth's core, mantle, crust, oceans, ionosphere, and magnetosphere so we can better understand our planet's geomagnetic field and predict its fluctuations. An earlier version of this article was published in October 2024. We Finally Know Why Ancient Roman Concrete Was So Durable Teleportation Achieved Between Quantum Computers in a World First Scientists Discover New Class of Quantum States in Graphene