Tag Archives: earths

The Earth has been spinning unusually fast recently. Last year on July 4, our planet set a record by completing a full spin 1.66 milliseconds (0.00166 seconds) faster than usual, according to timeanddate.com. One year later, on July 10, 2025, Earth completed a daily rotation that scientists estimate was 1.36 milliseconds faster than usual, giving us another particularly short day. …

Scientists have made a startling discovery that may debunk global warming at Earth’s ‘most dangerous glacier,’ sending climate change deniers into celebration. Based on a surprising photo taken by the International Space Station (ISS) in 2023, researchers from around the world have concluded that three glaciers in Asia‘s Karakoram mountain range have been gaining ice and merging. The NASA image …

A remarkable image taken by an astronaut aboard the International Space Station (ISS) offers a breathtaking view of three glaciers merging into one massive ice mass in the Karakoram mountain range. These glaciers, located in one of Earth’s most remote and contested regions, are gaining ice volume despite the warming temperatures that are threatening glaciers worldwide. A Rare Glacial Phenomenon …

When time lost to shortened days begins to add up, timekeepers add an extra second to the running clock, bringing astronomical time back in sync with the atomic time it had lagged behind. This is called a leap second, and it’s been implemented about every year and a half since 1972—most people don’t notice that either. Will a faster-spinning Earth affect …

QUICK FACTS Where is it? Karakoram mountain range, Kashmir region, central Asia [35.50982304, 76.99307626] What’s in the photo? Three striated glaciers merging into a single ice mass Who took the photo? An unnamed astronaut on board the International Space Station When was it taken? Aug. 15, 2023 This intriguing astronaut photo shows a trio of “anomalous” ice masses merging in …

“The skies 41,000 years ago may have been both spectacular and threatening. When we realized this, we wanted to know whether this could have affected people living at the time,” the study authors said. How did the skies influence early human lifestyle? The study began with a simple but interesting question. What happens to life on Earth when the magnetic …

When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. Magnetic minerals locked inside artifacts from ancient civilizations reveal a snapshot of Earth’s magnetic field at the time. That, in turn, could give us insights into its future. | Credit: Wei-An Jin In 2008, Erez Ben-Yosef unearthed a piece of Iron Age “trash” …

Geologists recently unveiled groundbreaking seismic evidence of massive, ancient “fortresses” located nearly 1,800 miles below the Earth’s surface, in the mantle. These colossal structures are not only older and tougher than the surrounding rock, but they have reshaped our understanding of the planet’s interior. Their discovery was made possible through innovative seismic techniques, and the findings have been published in …

Recent shifts in Earth’s magnetic field have human fingerprints all over them. While it is normal for our planet’s magnetic poles to sporadically wander, new research shows we’ve now amassed enough water behind dam walls to account for at least some of the current movements. Harvard University geophysicist Natasha Valencic and colleagues calculated that the masses concentrated in just under …

In 2008, Erez Ben-Yosef unearthed a piece of Iron Age “trash” and inadvertently revealed the strongest magnetic-field anomaly ever found. Ben-Yosef, an archaeologist at Tel Aviv University, had been working in southern Jordan with Ron Shaar, who was analyzing archaeological materials around the Levant. Shaar, a geologist at The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, was building a record of the area’s …