Electromagnetism

Our electronic devices are screwing up the migratory compasses of birds. A new study shows that electromagnetic radiation, specifically frequencies found in the AM radio band, interferes with the internal magnetic orientation system of birds. This means that cities are likely having a disruptive effect on bird migration patterns. You may also enjoy: Above image…

An aluminum slug melts and levitates at the same time

Run an alternating current through a coiled length of copper and you’ll create a levitation cylinder. Drop a bar of aluminum in and you’ve got yourself some hovering metal. But leave the metal there too long… The thing about this levitation cylinder is that it doubles as an induction heater. In a nutshell: the current…

These Prints Visualize Wi-Fi’s Real Life Peaks and Valleys

Last time we checked in with Peter Jellitsch, the Austrian artist was using modern alchemy (aka a radio-wave-measuring device) to turn Wi-Fi’s invisible peak-and-valley signals into physical objects. Now he’s gone 2D, creating a series of diagrams that depict Wi-Fi bandwidth. https://gizmodo.com/what-wi-fi-would-look-like-as-a-physical-object-5977490 The prints are massive; Jellitsch collected data in Paris and Vienna, and then…

This is what a lightning strike does to a lightning rod

This is what a lightning rod looks like after it’s done its duty. Why does a lightning bolt crush it like a fist crushes a beer can? Because of what’s known as a “pinch.” The phenomenon is like a much more prosaic sight — a stream of water from a sink breaking into beads. Gravity…

In this incredible photo, St. Elmo’s Fire lights up an observatory

If you heard a strange crackling noise, went outside, and noticed what seemed to be lightning attacking parts of your building, what would you do? One man took a picture. Sonnblick Observatory in Austria serves as a focus for the famous St. Elmo’s Fire. Hermann Scheer, who snapped this picture, describes it as being a…

This levitating barbecue is the coolest thing you’ll see today

Let’s face it: when it comes to jaw-dropping video footage, it’s hard to compete with live coverage of the world’s first supersonic dive from the edge of space. But Felix Baumgartner’s spacejump was just cancelled, which makes this video of a levitating sheet of piping-hot metal (the equivalent of a floating, aluminum griddle) the most…

The Earth has a heartbeat we can see from space

The Earth pulses with a special kind of resonant wave. The Schumann Resonance has long been dubbed ‘the Earth’s heartbeat,’ and it has only been spotted from below. Recently, though, satellites have found signs of this electromagnetic heartbeat leaking up into space. The heartbeat of the earth goes at about eight cycles per second. Like…

The tools of a real-life ghostbuster

Ghost hunting isn’t just about a willingness to get sucked into a hell dimension with a grin on your face. It’s an old profession that requires many different kinds of gadgets and weird devices. Check out the tools that ghostbusters have carried around, both yesterday and today. The Actual Ghost Hunter Although now people eagerly…

10 Things an Electromagnetic Field Can Do to Your Brain

We all know that electromagnetic fields are magic and can do anything at any time for any reason. Sometimes, though, they can be harnessed to do certain things in particular. Electromagnetic fields can be applied to the skull, making your brain do strange, and sometimes completely inexplicable things. Find out how scientists use magnetic fields…

Can wireless electricity kill people?

Probably not. Even when it’s nipping at our toes, wireless electricity is pretty safe. In 1899, Serbian engineer Nikola Tesla built a 142-foot-tall, 12-million-volt electric coil in Colorado Springs and transmitted electricity wirelessly across 25 miles, illuminating 200 lamps with the charge. After he flipped the switch, flashes of lightning leaped from the coil, but…

How the father of electromagnetism took the first color photograph 150 years ago

This image of a tartan ribbon is the first-ever permanent color photograph, and it was taken 150 years ago yesterday by the legendary scientist James Clerk Maxwell. So just how did he create colors that would last for over a century and a half? On May 17, 1861, Clerk Maxwell unveiled the photo during a…

DIY 1968 Electronic UFO Detector

When you’re done not finding any UFOs with your DIY UFO detector, you can also use its electronic magnetic field-detecting properties to not find ghosts, which also don’t exist. [Strange Attractor via Boing Boing]

Watch This 1.25 Kilojoule DIY Coilgun Smash Various Household Items

“Danger! High Voltage. Do Not Touch. Death or Serious Injury May Occur,” reads the yellow sticker on the side of this 1.25 Kilojoule DIY coilgun. Watching this video of it in action, that sounds about right: The battery-powered projectile-blaster took 2 years to complete, according to its creator, YouTube user Larsplatoon, and it packs four…

Madget Show: Magnetic Hocus Pocus For Multitouch Surfaces

Well this is something pretty incredible. SLAP widgets—peripherals that bring physical controls to multitouch surfaces—have evolved to the point where they can move themselves. What’s that? Oh, just watch the madgets in action. It’s something special. https://gizmodo.com/slap-widgets-bring-physical-controls-to-multitouch-5204080 The project, by researchers from the Media Computing Group, builds on the idea of SLAP widgets by adding…

Important Tin Foil Hat Testing, For Crazies

First of all, it’s not a tin foil hat. It’s a tin foil safety tuque. Second of all, it’s finally been scientifically proven that it guards your brain from a wireless modem’s signals. The jury’s still out on mind control. Actually, making a little Faraday cage for your head is a fun experiment, although I’m…

Finding Aliens With a Continent-Spanning Observatory

LOFAR, a network of 44 stations of antennae spread across Europe, is only half complete, yet it’s already giving researchers unparalleled images of distant black holes. Soon it’ll be used by SETI to search for aliens on rarely-explored superlow frequencies. LOFAR’s far flung stations independently collect data that is then composited by a supercomputer. The…