Magnetricity Observed!
Finally! The existence of magnetic 'charges' (north and south poles) existing independently has been observed by scientists!
The study, which was led by Professor Steve Bramwell of the London Center for Nanotechnolgy, showed that atomic-sized 'north' and 'south' charges can flow through materials when placed in a magnetic field. Their paper published in Nature just today, showed that 'north' and 'south' charges can be isolated and rove around independently in dysprosium titanate (Dy2Ti2O7), also called spin ice. This material possess two unusual magnetic properties due to its crytal lattice, which translates to the interpretation that magnetic 'charges' can move around randomly in the absence of a magnetic field and, much like electrical charges, to flow through the crystal in its presence. Hence the term 'magnetricity.'
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