Mr Bush is like a magnet beneath a piece of paper: as he moves, the iron filings silently form into new patterns.

ECONOMIST: Out of the dark, Republican glimmers

The filter consists of iron filings, cut in small pieces, and sand.

CNN: Filter cleans arsenic-tainted water

On the main table I noticed what looked like the ragtag remains of some Physics 101 lab experiments: rusted silver balls on different inclines, distressed balloons, a stained funnel, a markered flask, a calcium-speckled Bunsen burner, iron filings and sandpaper, large magnets, and batteries that could have been bought from a Chinese immigrant on the subway.

NEWYORKER: The Region of Unlikeness