US lab breaks world record for magnetic strength

US-based MagLab has achieved a new world record with the strongest resistive magnet, producing 41.4 teslas (a unit of magnetic field strength). Taking 2.5 years and $3.5 million to build, the machine smashed the previous record held by China’s 38.5-tesla magnet. Resistive magnets are activated when electric currents are applied, and this one required power equivalent to boiling 21,500 kettles.