CNET News: A mini-atom-based magnetic sensor has successfully tracked a human heartbeat, say physicists at NIST, who are working with researchers at a German national metrology institute. A key advantage, says principal investigator John Kitching, is that the magnetic signals detected by magnetocardiograms aren’t affected by fluids in the body, as are the electric signals used with electrocardiograms; MCGs also do not require contact with the body. Nevertheless, such a device would require powerful shielding from Earth’s magnetic field. Kitching and coworkers have published their findings in Applied Physics Letters.
The finding that the Saturnian moon may host layers of icy slush instead of a global ocean could change how planetary scientists think about other icy moons as well.
Modeling the shapes of tree branches, neurons, and blood vessels is a thorny problem, but researchers have just discovered that much of the math has already been done.
January 29, 2026 12:52 PM
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