Six ways people have used magic to protect their homes throughout history—from witch bottles to 'hag stones'

Written and edited by the WorldPing NewsdeskPublished Updated Original reporting: Phys.org
Six ways people have used magic to protect their homes throughout history—from witch bottles to 'hag stones'WorldPing
Image via Phys.org.

What happened

Virtually all cultures and eras fizz with magic.

You might call it a secret ingredient of human life because magic takes so many forms and serves so many functions.

Key facts

  • Reported by Phys.org and published Sat, 12 Sep 2026 22:30:01 UTC.

Why it matters

Research findings and mission results set the evidence base that policy, funding and later discoveries build on.

What to watch next

  • Peer review status and replication of the findings
  • Mission milestones and next scheduled attempt
  • Funding or policy decisions that follow

Coverage timeline

When each newsroom published on this story, oldest first — all times UTC.

  1. Why are the stars around our galaxy's black hole missing their companions?

  2. Six ways people have used magic to protect their homes throughout history—from witch bottles to 'hag stones'

Sources

The original report was published by Phys.org. WorldPing does not claim that reporting — this page summarises and contextualises it.

Read the full report at Phys.org

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Why are the stars around our galaxy's black hole missing their companions?WorldPing
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Why are the stars around our galaxy's black hole missing their companions?

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Brief by WorldPing · Original reporting by Phys.org