The Dangers of Magnet Hunting for Meteorites

The use of hand magnets by meteorite hunters to verify the authenticity of meteorites is destroying valuable magnetic information stored within them. The process wipes the pre-existing magnetic field and replaces it with the magnet's own field, making it impossible to study the original magnetism of the meteorite. This poses a problem for scientists hoping to learn about the magnetic field that once shielded the Martian atmosphere. The study suggests that meteorite hunters should skip the magnet test and explore alternative methods to verify meteorites' authenticity.