'Magnetic histories' discussion meeting held at the Royal Society
'Unravelling the magnetic histories of Earth and other terrestrial objects' was a discussion meeting held at the Royal Society in mid-September 2026. It was organised by Professor Andy Biggin, Professor James Bryson (Department of Earth Sciences), Professor Cathy Constable and Professor Wyn Williams.
Focused on the multibillion year histories of dynamos operating in the cores of the Earth, the Moon, Mars, Mercury and asteroids, attendees discussed recent advances in data and techniques, with the aim of tackling 'major contemporary controversies whose implications stretch far beyond geo- and planetary magnetism'.
Professor James Bryson, Professor Claire Nichols, Professor Conall Mac Niocaill, Dr Rashida Doctor, Brandon Fish and Donny Han were in attendance from Oxford.
Paleomagnetists in the pub!
Professor Claire Nichols said: "It was a really fantastic meeting with a great range of talks and plenty of lively discussion. I think one of the best things about these Royal Society meetings is that all the speakers have to submit a new publication for a collection to summarise the meeting. That meant that everyone was presenting something new and you really got a sense of the state-of-the-art across paleomagnetism right now. We certainly have lots of exciting challenges to address in the next few years!"
