magnets

11 Stories

Couple Goes Magnet Fishing, Ends Up $100K Wealthier

New York couple finds safe, which police can't trace to anyone

(Newser) - A couple that took up magnet fishing during the COVID-19 pandemic now has their uncommon hobby to thank for a massive windfall. James Kane and Barbie Agostini tell NY1 they were looking for way to take up treasure-hunting without a large investment; magnet fishing requires just a rope and a...

Person Fishing With a Magnet Finds Evidence in 2015 Murders

Bud and June Runion responded to ad hoping to buy a classic car

(Newser) - Someone using a magnet to fish for metal objects in a Georgia creek pulled up a rifle, as well as some lost belongings of a couple found slain in the same area more than nine years ago. The Georgia Bureau of Investigation says the items dragged from Horse Creek in...

This Is Why You Shouldn't Bring a Gun Into an MRI

Patient, 57, ended up shot in the butt after sneaking a firearm into the machine

(Newser) - It might seem obvious to most that one probably shouldn't bring a firearm into a large machine with a powerful magnetic field, but one woman learned that lesson the hard way. The Messenger first reported on the "adverse event" cited by the Food and Drug Administration , in which...

Real Life Thor's Hammer Can't Be Lifted
 Real Life 
 Thor's Hammer 
 Can't Be Lifted 
in case you missed it

Real Life Thor's Hammer Can't Be Lifted

Electrical engineer builds working Mjolnir

(Newser) - By the hammer of Thor! An electrical engineer made a working replica of the mighty Mjolnir using powerful magnets. In Marvel comics, only Thor and a few other "worthy" characters can lift the giant hammer. CNET reports the real-life version is a trick YouTuber Sufficiently Advanced, aka Allen Pan,...

Toddler's Death May Spur Desk-Toy Magnet Ban

 Toddler's Death May Spur 
 Desk-Toy Magnet Ban 
in case you missed it

Toddler's Death May Spur Desk-Toy Magnet Ban

19-month-old swallowed 'Buckyball'-type magnets

(Newser) - The small rare-earth magnets best known as "Buckyballs" are too dangerous to young children to remain on the market, staff at the Consumer Product Safety Commission have decided. Regulators—who vote on a recommendation to ban the desk-toy magnets later this month unless they're large enough to not...

Buckyballs Battles Regulators on Child Safety
 Buckyballs Battles 
 'Government Gone Absurd' 
recall drama

Buckyballs Battles 'Government Gone Absurd'

Maker bucking calls to stop selling magnetic desk toy

(Newser) - The interests of business and of government regulators have met head-on in a battle over the Buckyballs magnetic desk toy. The rare-earth magnets are powerful enough to cause horrific injuries when swallowed by children, and while 11 other makers of similar products have complied with a Consumer Product Safety Commission...

New Computer Engineers: Bacteria

Magnetic microbes could lead way to faster hard drives

(Newser) - Future computer hardware designers may look to bacteria as a guide. Researchers in Britain created miniscule magnets by mimicking a bacterial process; these magnets could help us build the smaller, faster hard drives of tomorrow, the BBC reports. A bacterium called Magnetospirilllum magneticum creates the world's most magnetic mineral,...

Metal Sticks to 'Magnet Boy' Paulo David Amorim
 Metal Sticks to 'Magnet Boy' 

Metal Sticks to 'Magnet Boy'

Doctor says Paulo David Amorim's health not at risk

(Newser) - A real-life Magneto in Brazil? Metal appears to stick to Paulo David Amorim, reports the AP , citing local media. The 11-year-old’s apparently magnetic qualities have led classmates to nickname him “magnet boy.” Though a doctor says he’s never seen such a case before, he adds that...

You Heard? Headphones, Pacemakers Don't Jibe

Headsets may interfere with heart devices

(Newser) - Headphones used with digital music players may interfere with pacemakers and internal defibrillators, scientists discovered in research contradicting reports from the US government. “Exposure of a defibrillator to the headphones can temporarily deactivate the defibrillator,” the lead researcher said. Draping the headphones over the chest caused hindrance in...

US Stores Riddled With Unsafe Toys
US Stores Riddled With Unsafe Toys

US Stores Riddled With Unsafe Toys

Lead, choking hazards could be home for the holidays

(Newser) - Despite massive recalls, hazardous toys still crowd US shelves, warn consumer watchdog organizations. Dozens of toys pose choking hazards, contain toxic chemicals, or use dangerously strong magnets, according to an annual toy survey by the US Public Interest Research Group released yesterday. Nine of 100 toys tested by the Center...

Dirt Feels Magnetic Pull
Dirt Feels Magnetic Pull

Dirt Feels Magnetic Pull

New iron-flecked gel is used to remove centuries of grime from paintings

(Newser) - Italian researchers have solved an age-old problem of painting conservation with new technology: magnets. Restorers use special gels to work on small areas of a canvas, but removing them has remained a delicate operation that can damage the artwork. Now, Nature reports, chemists at the University of Florence have developed...

11 Stories