Recent research brings a surprising twist to our understanding of planetary science. This new study indicates that a significant weakening of Earth’s magnetic field around 590 million years ago might have played a critical role in the development of complex life forms. Although the first life on Earth appeared at least 4 billion years ago, prior to this anomaly in the magnetic field, life forms were microscopic, primitive, and largely static. The 26-Million-Year Anomaly That Changed the Course of LifeThe Earth’s magnetic field has flipped its direction multiple times over millions of years. Bu…