In 1982, General Motors changed the game when they invented the neodymium magnet, a permanent magnet (or super-magnet) made from an alloy of neodymium, iron and boron. It’s an alloy so powerful that when two of these magnets are attracted to one another, the magnetic field becomes so intense that they can actually burst when they finally meet. Today, they can be found in everyday objects like wireless headphones – as well as the more unusual, like puzzles and magnetic brain teasers – but also in the field of microsurgery.