Often, as an undergraduate geology student, my lecturers referred to the past as the key to the future. This was never an easy concept to grasp. However, a recent article in New Scientist magazine (13th September 2011 ) really puts the research, we are doing, at the Palaeomagnetism Laboratory in Liverpool into perspective.  Understanding how a large solar storm would affect satellites is important, and even more important is learning what we can do in order to minimise the disruption and damage caused by one. The Earth’s magnetic field protects us from the effects of solar storms and acts as a shield against the charged particles referred to in the New Scientist article. Understanding how the Earth’s magnetic field has behaved in the past is a useful tool in trying to understand how it might behave in the future. This ties in with Andy’s post back in June 2011: “Why should the taxpayer fund palaeomagnetic research?” This is a true example of how our work can contribute to modern society and highlights why the past is the key to the future!