According to the team, it could especially be useful in the study of magnetic pole reversal, a phenomenon that happens every thousands or hundreds of thousands of years. When the north and the south pole flips during the event, our planet's magnetic field stops working, exposing it to deadly radiation. That's why scientists think it could be linked to mass extinction.

Yale's material gives researchers a way to create a tiny Earth as small as 20 square centimeters inside the lab if they want to look more closely into geomagnetic flips. Previous attempts required the use of volatile liquid sodium in large chambers. Eric Brown, the study's lead author, says the material can potentially be used to recreate other phenomena seen in planets and stars, as well.