They are wondering if this is a precursor to the poles swapping in a few thousand years....
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Earth's magnetic field weakening....
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We're all going to die!! Panic!! Run for the hills!!
OK, never mind. We're talking about a potential long-term transition of the poles, which might be quite interesting if it really happens and won't destroy us or our descendants. I'm sure scientists will eventually figure out if it a reversal has actually begun, since the evidence is all around us (mostly under us). I'm looking forward to taking some nice Northern Lights photos when they happen to arrive in Los Angeles!
OK, never mind. We're talking about a potential long-term transition of the poles, which might be quite interesting if it really happens and won't destroy us or our descendants. I'm sure scientists will eventually figure out if it a reversal has actually begun, since the evidence is all around us (mostly under us). I'm looking forward to taking some nice Northern Lights photos when they happen to arrive in Los Angeles!
Based off of the article this happens every million years or so. And all we can anticipate is the northern lights, multiple magnetic north poles for a while, and then having to buy a new compass with the N's and S's reversed. 
But I think that this article shines a light on how little we really know and how much more we have to learn as a species.
But I think that this article shines a light on how little we really know and how much more we have to learn as a species.
What a surprise.
I saw the movie The Core twice yesterday (coincidentially, the day the article was posted), and just today I read a scientific article based on a concept related to a lot of the concepts in The Core. Of course, the article left out quite a few of the unfortunate circumstances that would result...
I saw the movie The Core twice yesterday (coincidentially, the day the article was posted), and just today I read a scientific article based on a concept related to a lot of the concepts in The Core. Of course, the article left out quite a few of the unfortunate circumstances that would result...
It will probably speed up a bit when it gets closer to the acutal swapping. But thankfully we have GPS - so that won't matter if it flips on a regular basis....
D
D
That reminds me of a riddle I've always liked:
Q: If a man with a shovel in Greenwich, England starts digging a hole straight down into the earth, where will he come out?
A: Greenwich, England.
Q: If a man with a shovel in Greenwich, England starts digging a hole straight down into the earth, where will he come out?
A: Greenwich, England.
Originally posted by bennetsaysargh
hmm....
nice one dr q., but i don't get it
well, he surely can not tunnel through the entire earth, therefore he must exit the hole in greenwich once again.
Gravity has to do with the mass of the object in question, not the magnetic field.
Unless they finally come up with a grand unified theory.
Of course, we could all be hosed if they don't find the Higgs boson, anyway.
Unless they finally come up with a grand unified theory.
Of course, we could all be hosed if they don't find the Higgs boson, anyway.
well, i suppose weight lifting might get easier and less gas would be used to push cars up hill. and maybe i can pick up a person and start juggling that person around!
all of that eventually of course.
Even after they find the grand unified theory, gravity will still depend upon the mass of the object in this case. Unifying the electro-magnetic, weak and strong forces did not change how magnetism worked under "typical" conditions. General relativity does not negate classical mechanics under "typical" conditions either.
I think it will be interesting to see how migratory animals react to the changing magnetic field. Maybe this is why the Canada geese refuse to go back to Canada!