Science News Archive

Plastic Magnet

A team of US scientists have finally found what they were looking for after 13 years of research: a plastic magnet. But there's a snag. It only works in oxygen-free environments, and at temperatures below 440 degrees F. The chemist who worked on this project admitted he didn't know what the magnets could be used for, but we've thought of an ideal application for this fantastic plastic invention: If you ever end up on Mars and need to attract some iron, it's just the thing.

16th Dec 2001