• How humans adapted to increased cosmic radiation during geomagnetic excursion 41 000 years ago

    ByReet Kaur

    Around 41 000 years ago, Earth’s magnetic field weakened by up to 90 percent during a geomagnetic excursion known as the Laschamps event. This rare event reduced the planet’s natural shielding against solar and cosmic radiation, exposing the surface to increased ultraviolet energy. A new study combining space weather modeling and archaeological evidence shows that early humans adapted to these extreme conditions through the use of ochre, clothing, and caves, while Neanderthals may have lacked such protective strategies, which may have contributed to their extinction.

  • Geomagnetic excursions over the past 10 000 years revealed in peat deposits

    ByHarsha Borah

    A new study published in the Russian Journal of Pacific Geology looks into geomagnetic excursions over the last 10 000 years utilizing peat deposits from Russia’s Khabarovsk Territory. The study called into attention the importance of understanding these transitory shifts in Earth’s magnetic poles, which differ from total geomagnetic reversals and impact climatic and environmental circumstances.