Lost in migration: Earth's magnetic field overdue a flip

[dipsydoodle]

LONDON, Sept 7 (Reuters) - The discovery by NASA rover Curiosity of evidence that water once flowed on Mars - the most Earth-like planet in the solar system - should intensify interest in what the future could hold for mankind.

The only thing stopping Earth having a lifeless environment like Mars is the magnetic field that shields us from deadly solar radiation and helps some animals migrate, and it may be a lot more fragile and febrile than one might think.

Scientists say earth's magnetic field is weakening and could all but disappear in as little as 500 years as a precursor to flipping upside down.

It has happened before - the geological record suggests the magnetic field has reversed every 250,000 years, meaning that, with the last event 800,000 years ago, another would seem to be overdue.

http://uk.reuters.com/article/2012/10/03/us-science-earth-magneticfield-idUKBRE8920X620121003

[bananas]

1. Solar wind induced magnetic field around the unmagnetized Earth

http://arxiv.org/abs/astro-ph/0404580

[leveymg]

2. But there's no evidence of mass species extinctions every 250,000 years. But, computers weren't

life forms (or essential for life) until more recently, so who knows?

[Control-Z]

3. I love this kind of stuff!

Thanks for posting!

K&R

[Igel]

4. Newspaper science is sad.

The only thing relevant for a lot of purposes is "Be afraid!" or "Get something!" Mockery is often acceptable, but "get ego stroking" counts as "get something."

Not much to get out of things like astronomy or physics or even environmental biology. So we're left with terror and ego stroking. "We're all doomed because of ..." or "Look at how silly scientists look if you don't have a clue what they're talking about."