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Researchers have designed an imaging chip that could turn mobile phones into devices that can see through the wall, wood, plastic, paper and other object. The team of researchers has found a way to make the terahertz band of the electromagnetic spectrum — the spectrum band between microwaves and infrared light — usable for medical or consumer devices. As infrared light can be viewed by some night vision goggles, devices that can image the terahertz band could see through drywall, wood, even human skin. This band has been used before, but the new solution is cheaper and simpler to create.

Ecosystem Services | Mapping Ocean Wealth

A giant magnetic bubble surrounds Earth, shielding our planet from the sheer power of the sun. Invisible to the human eye, the bubble—called the magnetosphere—is fairly round on the side that faces the sun, and then forms long, spaghetti-like strands that trail behind Earth and move in concert with the constant stream of magnetized particles known as the solar wind. The magnetosphere protects Earth from the brunt of the sun's energetic outbursts. But some gigantic eruptions of solar material, called coronal mass ejections, can nonetheless compress the shape of the magnetosphere, creating a geomagnetic storm. During strong geomagnetic storms, the fluctuation of magnetism and electricity near Earth can interfere with communication and GPS satellites, induce electrical surges in power grids on the ground and light up the skies with auroras. Watch the visualization below to see the shape of the magnetosphere that surrounds and cradles Earth, protecting it from the sun's explosions. ||