We appear to be safe from a catastrophic reversal of the north and south magnetic poles, according to evidence showing that the last swap took a lot longer, and was a lot messier, than scientists thought. The magnetic field shields Earth from the sun’s harmful radiation and cosmic rays, so a sudden polarity reversal could affect our power and communications systems, as well as our health.
But a new study August 7 in Science Advances says we should probably calm down, since the last magnetic field reversal on Earth took quite a bit longer: at least 22,000 years. It’s one more piece in the puzzle of how and why our planet’s magnetic field operates, and slowly but surely researchers are figuring it out.
“Our data suggest that, on average, major surgery is associated with only a small cognitive ’hit,’ and while there was a doubling in the risk of substantial cognitive decline, this only affected a small number of patients,” said senior study author Dr. Robert Sanders. He’s an assistant professor in the department of anesthesiology at the University of Wisconsin, in Madison.
What’s new: In research published this week in Science Advances, geologist Brad Singer of the University of Wisconsin-Madison and his colleagues homed in on the last reversal event in search of the steps leading up to it.
Cheesy sci-fi movies depict the magnetic field shift as happening virtually overnight, and while researchers know that’s not the case it’s still hard to pin down an estimate. Now, a new study from researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison suggests that a pole flip which occurred around 770,000 years ago took tens of thousands of years to finish once it began.
That said, scientists generally don’t know what causes a reversal, nor how long it takes to play out – it’s believed that the average is about 7,000 years, but some studies suggest it could happen in less than 100 years. To investigate for the new study, researchers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, UC Santa Cruz and Kumamoto University looked to the turbulent time around the last geomagnetic reversal.
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee is launching one of the country’s only online Jewish Studies curriculum — and the first at a public university — expanding the school’s remote education footprint and tapping into a niche international market for students.
Amber Schroeder, Executive Director of Badgers United, said the organization hopes to highlight how UW-Madison helps the entire state succeed.
The way soil is managed can have a big impact on carbon in the atmosphere, according to Thea Whitman, assistant professor of soil science at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.
The wrong-way driver who caused the auto accident that left Wisconsin men’s basketball assistant Howard Moore with third-degree burns and took the life of his wife and daughter was intoxicated, according to a toxicology report.
Wisconsin’s most notable gifts to the world include cheese, beer and cranberries, but who represents the greatest export in athletics?
That’s mostly an unanswerable question, but if we try to gauge which Wisconsin athletes are the biggest sports stars right now, we can at least arrive at a list.
Officials say Gawlik worked at the University of Wisconsin since 1994 holding various positions including assistant athletics director and deputy Title IX coordinator.
After 25 years with the University of Wisconsin athletic department, Terry Gawlik is leaving to run the athletic program at Idaho.
Noted: The Glow Float has been the nascent program’s most popular trip and has sold out the past two years. Wayfarers (which means travelers, usually by foot) paddle 6 miles from the University of Wisconsin-Madison’s Memorial Union Terrace on Lake Mendota to Picnic Point for a bonfire and a talk about the history and significance of the Lakeshore Nature Preserve (which the point is part of). On the paddle back to the Terrace, Wayfarers adorn their kayaks with lanterns and glow sticks. This year’s trip is from 6 to 9 p.m. Aug. 17 and costs $55 (includes kayak rental).
Dr. Jonathan Foley, 50, executive director for Project Drawdown, joined me for a discussion about climate change … With a PhD in atmospheric sciences from the University of Wisconsin and having spent three decades doing and managing research into climate change, he is certainly qualified on the science.
Micah Potter has made his case to the NCAA. About all the junior forward on the University of Wisconsin men’s basketball team can do now is patiently wait to hear back from the organization.
