Earth's inner core may have changed shape, say scientists
bbc.co.uk
bbc.co.uk
1. Whether the inner core was or was not observed to spin faster than the rest of the planet 2. Whether the inner core changed (relative?) speed in 2010 or whether its behavior was confirmed in 2010, or 3. Perhaps most interestingly, whether the inner core had spun faster than the rest of the planet and we happened to be alive at the time when, for the first time in our planet's 4.6 billion year history, that changed in 2010, or whether they swap rotation rates now and then.
This is not really criticism. Science communication is hard. Hell, I've probably misrepresented CNN's representation 2-3 times in this comment.
Is this not within the margin of error for our understanding of the boundary?
It would not surprise me if the boundary is a place where there is no clear difference between solid and liquid, such that the solid edges of the core are always transient. Phase change diagrams in chemistry show regions where matter is simultaneously a liquid and a solid at temperatures and pressures that do not occur in daily life. Presumably, under immense pressure and temperature, the core's boundary would be a place where this occurs.
I am not an expert in physics, so take what I say here with a grain of salt.
I do think Earth is not large enough for that, but it's certainly not as crisp as you would assume if you only know how matter behaves at the surface.
> The core is about 4,000 miles from the Earth's surface and, despite best efforts, scientists have so far been unable to reach it.
We know there is a core thousands of miles beneath our very feet, and we can only guess as to what exactly it is, a mystery beneath us our entire lives.
> Dr. Josh Keyes: The core is the size of Mars. You're talking about jump-starting a planet. This is a superheated hyper-fluid of molten iron and nickel at 9,000 degrees Fahrenheit. And the deepest we've ever been is... 7 miles, with a two-inch drill bit. Space is easy. It's empty. We're talking about millions of pounds of pressure per square inch. Even if we somehow came up with a brilliant plan to fix the core, we just can't get there.
> Dr Conrad Zimsky: ...But what if we could?
I think the modern era has shown that most people put very little value on future lives or the lives of people outside of their tribe. Plenty of propoganda would spring up to justify inaction and alleviate any guilt.
Every person fights for himself. Then he fights for his people. Then he fights for the people, but by that time he dies.
These days a lot of the science I consume seems to have a better understanding of the past and that "balance" is just seen as a stage in ongoing planetary change.
Of course I thought of that evolution as just the outside of a planet, but it makes sense that the inside matters too.
It's interesting how different things can be along various stages and dynamics at play.