The updated version of the World Magnetic Model was released on Dec. 17, with a new prediction of how the magnetic north pole will shift over the next five years. Here's why it was changed.

The magnetic compass is a great example — a magnetized needle, a bit of cork, and a bowl of water are all you need to start navigating the globe.

Imagine crossing vast oceans, soaring across continents, or tunneling deep beneath the earth—without ever getting lost. For some animals, this isn’t just a fantasy, but a daily reality. They possess ...

A visual pathway links brain structures active during magnetic compass orientation in migratory birds. Every year millions of migratory birds fly towards their wintering quarters and come back in ...

Earth’s magnetic north is not static. Like an anchorless buoy pushed by ocean waves, the magnetic field is constantly on the move as liquid iron sloshes around in the planet’s outer core.

But the inner workings of their magnetic compass have proved harder to understand. The magnetic direction sense in small songbirds that migrate at night is remarkable in several important respects.

Loggerhead turtles “dance” when exposed to food-associated magnetic fields, and their magnetic map may help them return to specific areas after long migrations.

The magnetic compass has been a crucial navigational tool for around a thousand years or so, perhaps longer. While classical versions still work perfectly well, you can now get digital magnetometer… ...

Learn how to make a magnetic compass from everyday objects with this guide for KS3 physics students aged 11-14 from BBC Bitesize.