Researchers of MESA+, the research institute for
nanotechnology of the University of Twente, in cooperation with researchers of
the University of Strasbourg and Eindhoven University of Technology, are the
first to successfully create perfect one-dimensional molecular wires of which
the electrical conductivity can almost entirely be suppressed by a weak
magnetic field at room temperature. The underlying mechanism is possibly
closely related to the biological compass used by some migratory birds to find
their bearings in the geomagnetic field. This spectacular discovery may lead to
radically new magnetic field sensors, for smartphones for example. The leading
scientific journal Science publishes the research results on 4 July.