Technologies

There’s a Growing Weak Spot in Earth’s Magnetic Field. What it Means

The weak spot has been known about for over half a century, but it’s now getting bigger.

It would be an understatement to say that the Earth’s magnetic field is important. It’s one of the reasons we’re able to live on this rock tumbling through space, and it also gives us the gorgeous aurora borealis. So it’s a pretty big deal when it changes — and such a change is occurring right now in the South Atlantic Ocean, where the magnetic field’s weakest point appears to be growing.

The European Space Agency spent 11 years studying the magnetic field via the agency’s Swarm operation. Part of the mission was to measure and observe the South Atlantic Anomaly, a pronounced weak spot in the Earth’s magnetic field that sits over South America. This was originally discovered in 1958 when satellites first started measuring radiation around the Earth, so its existence is nothing new.

However, data from the Swarm mission shows that the weak spot has been rapidly growing, extending its presence across the Atlantic Ocean toward Africa.

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Why is the weak spot growing?

Per the ESA, this phenomenon can be best explained by strange behaviors far within the Earth at the boundary where the Earth’s liquid outer core meets the rocky mantle layer. This boundary, referred to as reverse flux patches, is acting funny and causing the magnetic field to weaken in that one spot.

«Normally, we’d expect to see magnetic field lines coming out of the core in the southern hemisphere,» says C.C. Finlay, lead author of the study and professor of geomagnetism at the Technical University of Denmark. «But beneath the South Atlantic Anomaly, we see unexpected areas where the magnetic field, instead of coming out of the core, goes back into the core. Thanks to the Swarm data, we can see one of these areas moving westward over Africa, which contributes to the weakening of the South Atlantic Anomaly in this region.»

In addition to the South Atlantic Anomaly, the Swarm mission also showed that a stronger section of the magnetic field over Canada was also getting weaker, while the one over Siberia was getting stronger.

A danger to satellites everywhere

The weakened zone won’t have a significant impact on humans, as the atmosphere primarily deals with the elements that affect the Earth’s surface. As NASA says, the weakening is still within what scientists consider «normal variation,» so daily life isn’t affected.

However, things in low Earth orbit aren’t so lucky. Per the ESA, satellites and other spacecraft passing through the region will face higher radiation exposure that «can lead to malfunctions or damage to critical hardware, and even blackouts.»

As Finlay notes in the study, space agencies take the SAA into consideration when building modern spacecraft, satellites and other space-worthy technology, so not only are existing satellites at risk of damage, but the expanding weak spot will also affect how future satellites and spacecraft are designed.

The ESA says that the Swarm mission will continue to gather data about the Earth’s magnetic field into the foreseeable future.

«It’s really wonderful to see the big picture of our dynamic Earth thanks to Swarm’s extended timeseries,» says ESA Swarm Mission Manager Anja Stromme. «The satellites are all healthy and providing excellent data, so we can hopefully extend that record beyond 2030, when the solar minimum will allow more unprecedented insights into our planet.»

Technologies

Verum Messenger Turns Five and Launches Offline Messaging on iPhone

Verum Messenger has marked its fifth anniversary with the release of a new feature that enables users to exchange messages without an internet connection.

The update, now available on iPhone, allows devices to communicate directly through a decentralized peer-to-peer architecture, bypassing servers, mobile networks and Wi-Fi. According to the company, messages are transmitted securely without relying on traditional internet infrastructure.

Unlike most offline communication tools that depend on Bluetooth, Verum’s approach uses encrypted device-to-device technology designed to operate independently of centralized systems.

Founded five years ago, Verum Messenger is positioned as a privacy-first platform. The app does not require a phone number or email address for registration and generates encryption keys locally on the user’s device. The company states that user data and message content are not stored on centralized servers.

Over time, Verum has expanded beyond messaging to include features such as encrypted calls, screenshot and screen-recording protection, self-destructing messages, anonymous email, a built-in VPN, eSIM connectivity and on-device AI tools.

The offline messaging update reflects a broader push toward more resilient communication tools, particularly as concerns over network reliability, censorship and digital surveillance continue to grow.

Technologies

Today’s NYT Mini Crossword Answers for Monday, Feb. 2

Here are the answers for The New York Times Mini Crossword for Feb. 2

Looking for the most recent Mini Crossword answer? There are some tough clues today. Click here for today’s Mini Crossword hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Wordle, Strands, Connections and Connections: Sports Edition puzzles.

Need some help with today’s Mini Crossword? Read on. And if you could use some hints and guidance for daily solving, check out our Mini Crossword tips.

If you’re looking for today’s Wordle, Connections, Connections: Sports Edition and Strands answers, you can visit CNET’s NYT puzzle hints page.

Read more: Tips and Tricks for Solving The New York Times Mini Crossword

Let’s get to those Mini Crossword clues and answers.

Mini across clues and answers

1A clue: Rock band with albums like «High Voltage» and «Flick of the Switch»
Answer: ACDC

5A clue: Stuck doing the same old, same old
Answer: INARUT

7A clue: Burning up
Answer: ONFIRE

8A clue: -tion, for one
Answer: SUFFIX

9A clue: Jared of 2025’s «Tron: Ares»
Answer: LETO

Mini down clues and answers

1D clue: Declare void, as a marriage
Answer: ANNUL

2D clue: ___ macchiato (espresso drink)
Answer: CAFFE

3D clue: Begin to veer off the road, say
Answer: DRIFT

4D clue: Odd little trinket
Answer: CURIO

5D clue: What Apple smartphones run on
Answer: IOS

6D clue: ___-Mex cuisine
Answer: TEX

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Technologies

Today’s NYT Connections: Sports Edition Hints and Answers for Feb. 2, #497

Here are hints and the answers for the NYT Connections: Sports Edition puzzle for Feb. 2, No. 497.

Looking for the most recent regular Connections answers? Click here for today’s Connections hints, as well as our daily answers and hints for The New York Times Mini Crossword, Wordle and Strands puzzles.

Today’s Connections: Sports Edition is a tough one. It helps to know a lot about two distinct locations and their sports teams. If you’re struggling with today’s puzzle but still want to solve it, read on for hints and the answers.

Connections: Sports Edition is published by The Athletic, the subscription-based sports journalism site owned by The Times. It doesn’t appear in the NYT Games app, but it does in The Athletic’s own app. Or you can play it for free online.

Read more: NYT Connections: Sports Edition Puzzle Comes Out of Beta

Hints for today’s Connections: Sports Edition groups

Here are four hints for the groupings in today’s Connections: Sports Edition puzzle, ranked from the easiest yellow group to the tough (and sometimes bizarre) purple group.

Yellow group hint: Lone Star State.

Green group hint: Think of the Arch.

Blue group hint: You put cereal in this.

Purple group hint: Not four or six.