The Spinning Magnet: The Force That Created the Modern World and Could Destroy It

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North is north and south is south. Or is it Every once in a long while, the Earths magnetic poles switch places. Its happened many times in deep history, but never since humans walked the planet. After the next big switch, our compasses will point the wrong way and we will no longer be able to see the aurora borealis in Iceland. But thats not all. It might just push us back into the Stone Age. Beginning with the first investigations into electromagnetism, The Spinning Magnet charts a fascinating history of one of the most powerful forces in the universe. Award-winning science journalist Alanna Mitchell reveals how the Victorians made their pivotal discoveries, delves into unseen and unforeseen natural forces that threaten our planet, and warns of a possible future where solar radiation storms wipe out power grids and electronic communication across the globe.

Reviews

Stokes the readers curiosity about one of the most critical but invisible forces in the universe.

* BBC Sky at Night *

Mitchells portrait gallery is researched with a depth and breadth that make its protagonists triumphs and failures compelling. She also gives entertaining accounts of todays working geoscientists Her interviews provide insights into their thoughts and actions that transcend the stereotypes of inscrutable nerd or heroic explorer.

* Nature *

The Earths magnetic fieldtends to be taken for granted. In reality its a fickle, ill-understood phenomenon. Alanna Mitchell delves into the mystery, in an engrossing book that features a new surprise on every page.

-- Sean Carroll, author of The Big Picture

A fascinating untold story of science that is full of mystery and intrigue, and written with a great deal of style.

-- Mark Miodownik, New York Times bestselling author of Stuff Matters, winner of the Royal Society Winton Prize

A compelling yarn describing our historical efforts to understand the force that created the world, and as the subtitle warns, could bring about its endDestined to become a classic of popular science.

* E&T Magazine *

Captivating scientific historyan invaluable contribution to the popular science shelf.

* Booklist *

A compelling tale of unseen and unforeseen natural forces and a reminder that weve staked our home on a planet that remains infinitely strange, dangerous and ever full of wonder.

-- Deborah Blum, author of The Poisoners Handbook

In The Spinning Magnet,Alanna Mitchell pulls off the rare trifecta in science writing: an engrossing plot of a planetary mystery, authentic character portraits of scientists and their passion for their work, and explanations of complex physics in easily understandable terms.

-- Sabine Stanley, Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, Applied Physics Lab, Johns Hopkins University

Mitchell draws us into a spellbindingscientific detective story, told over the ages, as she nimbly explainsmagnetisms rolein everything that matters. Each chapter is filled withexciting new revelations written in clear crisp prose. A skilled writer,Mitchell puts magnetism on the map!

-- Timothy J. Jorgensen, author of Strange Glow: The Story of Radiation, winner of the American Institute of Physics Science Communication Award

Author Bio

Alanna Mitchell is an award-winning science journalist and author of Sea Sick: The Global Ocean in Crisis, which won the Grantham Prize for environmental journalism. Shes written for the New York Times, National Geographic and the Guardian. She lives in Toronto, Canada.