Drudge: NYT tomorrow: Collapse of the Earth's Magnetic Field Accelerates

[arcos]

The collapse of the earth's magnetic field, which both guards the planet and guides many of its creatures, appears to have started in earnest about 150 years ago, the NY TIMES is planning to report on Page Ones Tuesday.

Science reporter Bill Broad has filed a report, according to newsroom sources, which explores how: 'The field's strength has waned 10 percent to 15 percent so far and this deterioration has accelerated of late, increasing debate over whether it portends a reversal of the lines of magnetic force that normally envelop the earth."

Broad explains: "During a reversal, the main field weakens, almost vanishes, and then reappears with opposite polarity. Afterward, compass needles that normally point north would point south, and during the thousands of years of transition much in the heavens and Earth would go askew."

Broad claims: "A reversal could knock out power grids, hurt astronauts and satellites, widen atmospheric ozone holes, send polar auroras flashing to the equator and confuse birds, fish and migratory animals that rely on the steadiness of the magnetic field as a navigation aid."

Developing...

[soleft]

1. Finally, an explanation of the conservative movement.

during the thousands of years of transition much in the heavens and Earth would go askew

[papau]

112. Article link is in DU Science post

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=115&topic_id=11216&mesg_id=11216

[Robb]

2. Faux news tomorrow:

"Collapsing magnetic field: Some say it's Clinton's fault." :eyes:

:D

[BadGimp]

8. CLENIS

eom

[Zynx]

89. They'll also blame Osama

:nuke: :nuke:

[indigobusiness]

3. The miidle period of transition is dangerous as hell

and won't be pretty.

[indigobusiness]

7. Another reason China is building underground cities.

Our govt can't think beyond the next election.

[Dover]

23. Never heard about this. Got a link?

Sounds interesting.

[arcos]

12. what really surprises me is the amount... 10-15% in 150 years...

that's way too fast...

I really want to see NYT's article

[gristy]

4. Oh, fuck.

[AlFrankenFan]

53. Ditto

this is exactly the stuff I try not to worry about.

[DoYouEverWonder]

5. Developing?

It's been developing for millions of years. Won't be the first earth has reversed poles and it won't be the last.

[indigobusiness]

9. No it hasn't.

The transition has not "...been developing for millions of years. "

You know not of what you speak.

[DoYouEverWonder]

42. The earth has switched poles

numerous times in the past.

http://csep10.phys.utk.edu/astr161/lect/earth/magnetic.html


Rocks that are formed from the molten state contain indicators of the magnetic field at the time of their solidification. The study of such "magnetic fossils" indicates that the Earth's magnetic field reverses itself every million years or so (the north and south magnetic poles switch). This is but one detail of the magnetic field that is not well understood.


Would you like to rephrase your response?

[tjwash]

116. Hey, you know the earth is only 4000 years old...

:D

[arcos]

11. what's developing is the story... n/t

[David Zephyr]

6. Closet Case Drudge Turns Drudge Report Into Copy of Weekly World News!

Breaking News from Drudge Report: The Alien is Homosexual.

[indigobusiness]

10. Glib crap...

This is real news.

[theivoryqueen]

13. are you a geologist?

if so, you are probably aware that this has happened a lot of times already. No one really knows what kinds of effect the shifting of magnetic feilds will have on our technology, but terra firma has always handled it pretty well.

[indigobusiness]

18. But biologists lnow what happens when uv light etc reaches earth unimpeded

Just ask the people in Patagonia and the Falkland islands when the ozone hole is above them. The impact, just from that is catastrophic.

Have you ever seen the cancer rates from the scientists that spend any time at all in Antarctica? If not, it would shock you.

edit to add--- terra firma will do just fine, but the concern is for living organisms.

[mulethree]

120. talking cosmic rays, not just UV

Solar Wind, charged particles that flood outward from the sun and other stars, usually get deflected by the magnetosphere. They can pack a huge wallop but represent only about 2% of the usual background radiation at the surface of the earth.

UV is high energy light. It has virtually no mass but travels at the speed of light. Cosmic rays are high velocity particles. Protons, neutrons or even whole atomic nuclei traveling at 40 - 90% of the speed of light. Often they will collide with atoms in the atmosphere and break up into a scad of subatomic particles.

We know the magnetic polarity of the earth shifts occasionally and that during the shift there will be periods where the magnetosphere will be very weak. There would be a large increase in radiation levels during this time due to cosmic radiation reaching the surface instead of being deflected. But theres little evidence just how long the pole flip takes, it's fast - by geological standards, but is it a year, a century, longer?

[Tom Yossarian Joad]

50. Keee-rist... My toilets are all going to drain in reverse.

That's gonna take some time to get used to.

Gee. the freeps will start marrying interracially or possibly join Gay Pride groups, and we... we...


Aaaaargh!!!!! NOOOOO!

[indigobusiness]

80. No that's the Coriolis effect...caused by the Earth's rotation...

rest easy.

[Cicero]

100. Human sacrifice!

Dogs and cats, living together, mass hysteria!!!

Later,

P.S. Happy 100th post to me!!! :party:

[elcondor]

101. Happy 100th!

Bill Murray saying that line is my cell phone ringer! :D

Topic: this is certainly worrisome, but not underground-city-building worthy, IMHO. (Though I am concerned how this will affect us and our fellow creatures.)

[hang a left]

16. Please forgive this scientifically ignorant (amongs other subjects)

person. But what does this mean?

[indigobusiness]

22. It means a loss of the magnetic field that protects the earth from

cosmic influences, such as uv and other radiant energy, flares from the sun. And the impact on weather, crops, and animal migrations etc.

[SaveElmer]

26. I've done some reading on this

There is no real consensus on what exactly will happen, or if the changes actually portend a reversal. In any case, even if the current trend is toward a reversal, it will take some time - perhaps up to 1000 years from now before it begins in earnest. Presumably that would be enough time to make any preparations that are necessary. As for the natural world, this has happened many times in the past and life goes on.

[indigobusiness]

31. Latest data shows we are well into the transition.

Read the article and the bibliographical leads.

[SaveElmer]

36. From the NYT article

snip

No matter what the new findings, the public has no reason to panic, scientists say. Even if a flip is imminent, it might take 2,000 years to mature. The last one took place 780,000 years ago, when Homo erectus was still learning how to make stone tools.

snip

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/13/science/13magn.html?pagewanted=all

You are being more alarmist than is warranted!!!

[indigobusiness]

45. Notice the word "might"...an important qualifier

in a controversial subject.

Some experts are saying detrimental effects are already beginning.

Not being alarmist, just trying to keep the train on the track.

Scientists are usually behind the curve on things like this.

Academic self-preservation makes them incredibly conservative, for

the most part.

[stevedeshazer]

24. We're toast

Low-lying cities will flood and farmland will disappear. Famine and anarchy will follow. Glaciers and icecaps will melt. Real estate prices will rise in Nunavut and Norway and Nome.

Tropical diseases will move northward with devastating results.

[indigobusiness]

28. The glaciers have already melted, for the most part.

Compare an ice map of Greenland to one 10 years ago and you will shit your shorts.

[stevedeshazer]

30. Yup

[pinto]

37. magnetic reversals have been posited by astronomers and geologists for

not only the Earth, but the Sun, over time. Check out this months National Geographic's article on the sun. pinto

[indigobusiness]

84. There is a clear record of magnetic field reversal in the geological

record. Crystalline ferrous minerals align according to the field.

[0007]

71. .....and the media is right on top of it for once!

[Deja Q]

14. And people thought we'd be in trouble when the sun starts to go out in 4B

years from now... :-)

Smoke while you got 'em...

[oly]

15. Good PBS NOVA (I think) program on this

subject. Quite good. A few months (6?) ago, or so.

[susanna]

98. I saw that, too...

I thought it was fascinating. In my opinion, it looked like we are starting some type of transition. Nearly a quarter of the globe's magnetic fields were fading and shifting according to the data they showed, IIRC...

[gristy]

17. Here's a link

No harm, no foul?

http://www.astronomy.com/Content/Dynamic/Articles/000/000/001/776cisno.asp

No flux, no fear
Earth's magnetic field protects life on the planet from interstellar cosmic rays and high-energy particles in the solar wind. But the orientation of Earth's magnetic dipole has flipped hundreds of times in the past 400 million years. What's more, the strength of the field has been decreasing by 5 percent every century ? by far its fastest fall since the last magnetic reversal 73,000 years ago.

The transition from one magnetic orientation to another takes thousands of years, with magnetic north gradually changing to magnetic south. The bar-magnet-like dipole configuration we're accustomed to disappears, replaced by an unstable field of no clear shape and weakened to as little as 10 percent of its average value. So if Earth is headed for another reversal, as it appears to be, what will happen to life on Earth when our magnetic shield goes down?

An investigation by three German scientists shows that not much would change even if Earth's magnetic field completely disappeared. G. T. Birk and H. Lesch (Institute for Astronomy and Astrophysics, Munich) and C. Konz (Max-Planck-Institute for Plasma Physics, Garching) found that even an unmagnetized Earth could develop a magnetic field as strong as its present one.

Magnetic field lines carried by the solar wind interact with Earth's ionosphere and drape around the planet, a phenomenon seen at Venus and around comets. More important, they found that the relative motion between the solar wind and the ionosphere causes the ionosphere to generate its own magnetic field, one with a strength comparable to the one we enjoy now. "Consequently, even in the case of a complete breakdown of the Earth's dynamo, the biosphere is still shielded . . . by the magnetic field induced by the solar wind," they conclude. Their work was published in the June III issue of Astronomy & Astrophysics. ? Francis Reddy

on edit: added bold

[theivoryqueen]

20. good defusing tense pseudo-scenario!

yee-ha!

[indigobusiness]

25. That's what the glib talkers said about the shutting down of the Gulf

Stream's impact on weather. Last week there was a WINTER storm alert emergency in England...in July. England will soon experience weather like Nova Scotia (similar latitude). Espect Amsterdam's canals to freeze in winter soon.

Scoff...ignorance is bliss.

[theivoryqueen]

33. no, the gulf stream plays a vital part in weather patterns. This is diff.

Also, the "engine" of the world ocean is run by part of the gulf streams' action - compared to biology - like the circulatory system of the earth. The magnetic shift scare is older than Tesla.

[muriel_volestrangler]

38. So, you are dismissing the report by scientists as ignorance

without any indication out what catastrophes you are expecting to happen. Go on, lift us of our ignorance - enlighten us with the scientific predictions of what will happen if the magnetic field weakens and/or flips.

[indigobusiness]

46. There are already indications of animal migratory chaos.

Thousands of Pelicans suddenly abandoning their nests in N Dakota and disappearing to who knows where, is a godd example. There are others.

[AbbeyRoad]

69. Speaking of Pelicans...

There was a story on All Things Considered last Friday about a number of brown pelicans being far from their natural habitat in Arizona and mistaking heat waves off roads for water. They have been diving into pavement in large numbers and injuring themselves all because of the mirage effect.

The title of the piece is "Rash of Pelicans Injuries Far from the Sea in Ariz."

Link:
http://www.npr.org/rundowns/rundown.php?prgId=2&prgDate=9-Jul-2004

[stevedeshazer]

19. It's the big one, baby

We just had an earthquake.

We're overdue.

Reading Revelations now....

[JaySherman]

21. Could this explain some of the recent climate changes

that we currently attribute to global warming? Just curious. Any DU'er scientists out there care to comment?

[Neshanic]

27. Rub Earth real fast against Mars, stick back in orbit.

[JaySherman]

32. So all of our hairs will be standing up.

Everyone walking around looking like they stuck their finger in a light socket. That could be amusing.

80's poodle hair would be back in style.

:evilgrin:

[theivoryqueen]

34. if so, I will also dye my hair rainbow colors

if I have to go around with all my hair sticking up, I want it to at least be colorful.

[JaySherman]

39. LOL! To say nothing of all the static cling. Yikes!

Never wear sweatpants again.

[indigobusiness]

29. Most of the climate change is due to the Gulf Stream screeching to a halt.

Lots of good articles on this.

Never before have the CO2 levels been this high that the Earth didn 't go into an ice-age. Sometimes within a decade or two.

[stevedeshazer]

35. Gulf stream = the engine that drives moderate climate

It sends warm water from the subtropics to Northern Europe.

Bye bye, UK. Bye bye Scandinavia.

Icebox city.

[Mr.Green93]

40. caused by the U.S. having too many cell phones

and other electronic devices

[tjdee]

41. Drooling...can someone explain this to me like I'm a six year old?

Magnetic field good.
Deterioration bad.
Because.......?

Maybe I read it too fast. I used to think I was reasonably bright--folly of youth and all that.

on edit:
Yeah, I actually read through the responses....feeling more informed now...

[indigobusiness]

43. Some links

http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/lookingatearth/29dec_magneticfield.html

http://space.rice.edu/ISTP/

http://wrgis.wr.usgs.gov/docs/chron/paleomag/TIME.HTML

[DoYouEverWonder]

44. Hey Chicken Llittle

why don't you read your own links?

http://www.nasa.gov/vision/earth/lookingatearth/29dec_magneticfield.html

They've also learned what happens during a magnetic flip. Reversals take a few thousand years to complete, and during that time--contrary to popular belief--the magnetic field does not vanish. "It just gets more complicated," says Glatzmaier. Magnetic lines of force near Earth's surface become twisted and tangled, and magnetic poles pop up in unaccustomed places. A south magnetic pole might emerge over Africa, for instance, or a north pole over Tahiti. Weird. But it's still a planetary magnetic field, and it still protects us from space radiation and solar storms.

[indigobusiness]

52. Name-calling is petty and childish

but, I'll respond.

A little information can be a dangerous thing. You have extrapolated this to mean there is no deleterious impact from uv, xrays, solar flares, etc while the magnetic field is in mid flip. You should read a bit more, and other opinions as well.

Everybody is a tough guy until the fat's in the fire and the shit hits the fan. Then they run around pointing fingers and whining about why nobody warned them.

Talk to the thousands upon thousands of Europeans who lost loved ones in the "freak" heat wave last summer. Then you can put your head back in the sand with something to think about.

[DoYouEverWonder]

55. You're the one who started

with accusations, telling me I didn't know what I was talking about.

So far, all you have offered in return is more snide remarks and hyped up info that is little more than sensationalized speculation.

BTW: What the hell does last summers heat wave in Europe have to do with the poles changing in the next 1000 - 2000 years?

[jdj]

54. How will this affect the axis of evil?

But seriously, if it f@cks with the animals and insects it could mess up the entire food chain.

We'll all be mutants eating genetically engineered food. Or probably just starve.

I think it is way more likely that we'll get our asses whooped by a comet or asteroid or by screwing up the environment, then to believe that humanity will live peacefully as wise stewards of the earth until the sun explodes a few billion years from now

Chicken little was prescient, if premature. Like it or not, someday, and maybe sooner than later (who can say), the sky IS gonna fall.

[InkAddict]

75. Ummm - everybody rotate?

:shrug:

Seriously, this is interesting and I'm bookmarking for later read.

[jdj]

48. Bless you.

And also, when you said that about cancer statistics for scientists spending time in Antarctica, I would really be interested to see that, where can I find them?

I wonder if they have a hard time getting health insurance. Because so many said mercury poisoning (heavy metal toxicity) from amalgams was so much rubbish, yet apparently dentists have one of the highests rates of suicide and divorce of any profession (or did before they mostly switched to using ceramic fillings, for their health, not yours). I read somewhere that they had high insurance rates, that insurance rates are a very good indicator of things that might be otherwise dismissed, because insurance is based totally on statistical data. Follow the money, always.

[mainer]

47. this has been talked about for a while

The end result will be chaos with navigational tools and migratory animals, but, apparently, no drastic climatological changes. What may change, however, is the earth's protection against ionizing radiation, and this may lead to a higher incidence of cancer in humans. At least, that's what I recall reading.

[donco6]

49. Alarmist claptrap.

Read about this when I was in *grade school* - and that's been quite a long time ago.

[Dover]

51. So how does global warming fit into this scenario?

Is it the cause, or is it simply further accelerating the naturally changing conditions, or is warming unrelated to the magnetic shift?

Just curious if A) If this is a manmade disaster and B)if we can impact and alter the magnetic shift by becoming radical in our approach to stop pollutants?

[TheWesson]

56. Re: So how does global warming fit into this scenario?"

No, it's related to the overuse of fridge magnets, which are usually placed on the fridge in random orientations, thus disrupting the Earth's natural north-south magnetic field.

Got this from www.fridgemagnetmenace.com ... pass it on!
-----------------------------------------------
PLEASE, PLEASE -- Tidy up your fridge magnets, before it's too late!

1) Find out which way is North with a Boy Scout compass (available in any outdoor store.) Hold the compass flat and away from any magnet or appliance that could contain magnets. The end of the compass needle colored red (or otherwise specially marked) will indicate which way North is.

2) Go over each fridge magnet, inspecting it with a compass held about 1" from the magnet. The North facing end of the compass needle will now indicate which way the magnetic field of the fridge magnet lies. Carefully orient each fridge magnet with its NORTH POLE FACING NORTH (as indicated by the compass.)

DO NOT DISCARD YOUR MAGNETS. Magnets jumbled up in a landfill are just as harmful to the earth's natural magnetic field!
-----------------------------------------------

the wesson

[gristy]

61. :)

:) Welcome to DU, Wesson!

[TheWesson]

67. thanks

Thanks, I feel I've been very welcomed!

the wesson

[gristy]

58. The two are unrelated

This thread notwithstanding...

[indigobusiness]

62. Yep...dual subjects.

dueling posters

[indigobusiness]

59. The rise in co2 from a number of things beside petro and deforestation

is a major concern. The die-off of plankton, particularly blue-green algae, which is a co2 sink has ramped it up.
The irony is the desalination of the N Atlantic is shutting down the conveyor that drives the Gulf Stream...and will, counterintuitively, result in an ice-age. Never, in the ice-core record, have co2 levels been this high without a resulting ice-age (I repeat).

Last summer, the water along the east coast was icy in mid-summer. Don't know about this year.

[Swede]

57. Sigh== time to get out my tinfoil hat again.

[Papa]

60. im surprised nobody has mentioned this tie in yet

What about the recent reports that just about every country is sending their fleets out to sea? Coincidence? The sea would be the safest place to ride out catastrophic flooding.

[muriel_volestrangler]

74. Maybe that's because no-one thinks flooding will happen

No-one mentioned asbestos either. It's about as relevant as flooding. And why do you think a magnetic field change that started 150 years ago would send fleets out now?

[Papa]

113. Edgar Cayce for one predicted a sudden pole reversal with flooding

That's why I pointed it out.

And the magnetic pole reversal which stared 150 years aog may be accelerating. Whose to say with certainty how long it will actually take for the reversal to take place? It could reverse with the snap of my fingers, or not.

[muriel_volestrangler]

114. That would be Edgar Cayce the psychic, would it?

OK, you got me on that one - I thought you were serious.

[Rex]

63. Wow that's some acceleration! Better start packing an extra

pair of underwear just in case!

[indigobusiness]

68. And an extra douchebag

[northzax]

64. so why bother worrying about it?

there is quite literally nothing that can be done, so why worry? if it happens in our lifetime, we're screwed. bad luck to be around the once in a million years it happens. oh well.

kinda like the comets hitting the earth, whatcha gonna do about it? shit happens.

[Strawman]

65. The Magnetic Fields are collapsing?

Shit. That's one of my favorite bands!

Oh, the earth's magnetic field is going to reverse itself over a 7,000 year span. Mental note: buy new compass in 9004, give heads up to goldfish so he is not confused.

[DemoTex]

66. Capt. DemoTex knows celestial navigation. C/N named my dogs!

Screw the poles. I'll get you there by the stars. Back to basics. Especially Sirius and Canicula (Nick-Nick), the names of my two dogs based on the "Dog-star" in Canis Major.

[stevedeshazer]

70. When the poles flip

They'll be upside-down. Canis Major THAT, Copernicus! :)

[DemoTex]

76. Sirius, alpha-Canis Major, will always be found by extending Orion's' belt

Down and to the left. Not a summer constellation, though.

[stevedeshazer]

77. Yeah, right

And what if Orion turns out to be gay?

I'm just having fun. I've stared many a time in wonder at Sirius. In January. :)

[DemoTex]

81. Orion has Betelgeuse to worry about ...

Know what I mean, Vern?

[stevedeshazer]

82. Now THAT"S what I'm talkin' about!

I'm Sirius!

[indigobusiness]

72. Cracks in Earth's Defenses Let Space Storms In

http://space.com/scienceastronomy/earth_defenses_031204.html


Earth's natural defenses are routinely compromised by huge cracks that open up for hours, allowing space storms to pour through like a hurricane through an open window, scientists announced today.

The finding is expected to help space weather forecasters make better predictions of the potentially damaging effects of solar storms that buffet the planet. The tempests threaten satellites at the fringes of the atmosphere and power grids on the surface.

"We discovered that our magnetic shield is drafty, like a house with a window stuck open during a storm," said Harald Frey of the University of California, Berkeley. "The house deflects most of the storm, but the couch is ruined."


snip

The magnetic field absorbs the brunt of a solar storm, which is a huge cloud of charged particles, ions and electrons. The Sun constantly spits out a "wind" of these particles. During intense activity, it can shoot a coronal mass ejection (CME) our way. A CME -- the most damaging sort of solar storm -- is to the solar wind what a hurricane is to a summer breeze.

=======================

plus Largest Solar Flare
http://space.com/scienceastronomy/xtreme_flare_031105.html

[rfkrocks]

73. New Drudge Headline the magnetic field

started to collapse during the Clinton administration and Bush merely inherited the collapsing field...developing

[JoFerret]

78. Here's the NYTimes link

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/07/13/science/13magn.html

[Beetwasher]

86. Drudge Is Such Fucking Bufoon

It certainly doesn't appear to be on Page one (maybe of the Science Section) and is no where near as alarmist or ridiculous as he makes it seem. What a fucking idiot.

[spooked]

79. #1 Expert on Sun's Magnetic Cycle

On June 5th, Art Bell had a fascinating guest, a scientist from Ireland named Maurice Cotterell.

Mr. Cotterell has made amazing discoveries concerning the magnetic cycles of the Sun, and claims to have broken an ancient code concerning these magnetic cycles. There may be something to the Mayan calendar abruptly ending in the year 2012, although he said according to the code, the next magnetic reversal is supposed to be in the year 4490.

This magnetic cycle is apparently controlled by the sun spots on the sun, and the sun in turn controls so much more here on earth than we realize, including fertility. Yes, it is THE SUN'S CYCLE that is affecting our own. The ancient sun-worshipping civilizations, from the Mayans to the Egyptians, understood this cycle.

You can read more about his books on Amazon.

[revree]

83. OMG, POSTPONE THE ELECTIONS, WE'RE ALL GONNA DIE!!!

Is this one of Bushies "scientists?"

[indigobusiness]

85. This isn't about fear...it is about understanding. n/t

[Geo55]

87. ah huh !

soooo...THAT'S the OCTOBER SURPRISE !

[Dogmudgeon]

88. I'm concerned, but not panicking

I wonder why tempers have flared over this. Several people have reacted angrily to the prospect of disrespect being shown to Science. But Science is not a personage, and there's a lot of scientists who have been following the strange things that have been happening in the past few decades.

Not only is the strength of the magnetic field decreasing, but several other phenomena are occurring. "Polar Wandering" is increasing rapidly. Infalling dust from space, including isotopic beryllium (which has been established as an ice age marker) has increased greatly. Changes in the weather have been well-reported lately, but the most dramatic changes are in the weather we don't experience on the ground. The stratosphere is much colder now than it was as late as 1980, -100C vs -35C.

The Earth isn't the only planet involved, either; the Sun's behavior is certainly different than we've expected it to be lately, and evidence is growing for "global warming" on several planets.

Need I add that we are in the middle of a massive global die-off, the worst that the planet has seen since the Permian extinction about 250 million years ago?

I don't think we should all head for the hills, but an increased level of attention needs to be paid. If we are entering an age of increased instability in the previously steady state of the solar system, ignoring it in the name of skepticism could be far worse than believing hare-brained ideas. Fortunately, neither extreme is necessary; a healthy exchange of ideas is inevitable, and if the Big Hammer is going to fall, we will at least get a little advance warning.

It's very likely that what's happening is completely natural. That doesn't mean it will be trivial or even easy to deal with, but it won't have to be the mystical wrath of some angry God. It is natural for people to worry about this, and it's illogical for the defenders of Science to dismiss it as balderdash, buncombe and kerfluffle. Education is needed, not annoyed dismissals.

--bkl

[indigobusiness]

91. well put n/t

[arcos]

95. Everyone in this thread should read your post...

well put!

[Sweatynipples]

97. no sun problem

The suns recent activity is just part of reoccuring patterns that a normal main sequence G Star experiences through its life cycle. I think its called the butterfly diagram which shows this cycle.

The sun will get hotter over time but nothing that we will see in our lifetime or many generations to come. We have about 3 billion years before we see change

[Guaranteed]

90. RUN FOR YOUR LIVES!!!!!

AHHHHHHHHH!!!

I don't trust theoretical science.

[AngryAmish]

92. Last time this happened - A comet streaked b/w Earth and the Moon

It unleashed an era of sorcery ... and Super-Science.

Mookla! Ariel! Ride!!!

[Teaser]

109. Thundarr?

Oh Jeez I had forgotten that.

[AngryAmish]

111. Gee, this happened over ten years ago

The year 1994: From out of space comes a runaway
planet, hurtling between the Earth and the Moon,
unleashing cosmic destruction. Man's civilization is
cast in ruin.

Two thousand years later, Earth is reborn...

A strange new world rises from the old: a world of
savagery, super science, and sorcery. But one man
bursts his bonds to fight for justice! With his companions
Ookla the Mok and Princess Ariel, he pits his strength,
his courage, and his fabulous Sunsword against the
forces of evil.

He is Thundarr, the Barbarian!

[gauguin57]

93. Am I gonna float out into space?

Cool! Because if Dubya is re-elected in November (PERISH the THOUGHT), I WANT to float out into space. Or down to New Zealand.

Oh, fudge. I guess that's gravity. I got excited for a minute there.

[Domitan]

94. Heh, looks like Edgar Cayce's "prophecy" is getting hot

While I'm not a hundred percent sold on Cayce, I just find it interesting that some warnings by past mystics are coming to fruition or at least being seriously discussed in the mainstream.

[Rosco T.]

96. 2012 is the year to be concerned about...

This time we are now in has been called "The Time of Trial on Earth," "Judgement Day," "The Time of Great Purification," "The End of this Creation," "The Quickening," "The End of Time as We Know It," "The Shift of the Ages." It is foretold that the completion of the Precession brings regeneration of Earth, offering awakening to all open, willing hearts. Many peoples spoke of these last days of the Great Cycle, including the: Maya, Hopi, Egyptians, Kabbalists, Essenes, Qero elders of Peru, Navajo, Cherokee, Apache, Iroquois confederacy, Dogon Tribe, and Aborigines.

all of them fortell 'an event' in 2012 (the Mayan calander ends on Dec 21st, 2012).

food for thought that ALL of the 'ancient' religions/legends all point to the same year....

for what it's worth.

[smirkymonkey]

117. I find this very interesting....

maybe you could post an entire thread devoted to it in the lounge where you might get more feedback from people who are well acquainted w/ Cayce's material.

Just a thought. :)

[LefterThanMost]

99. More evidence that Bush is destroying the Earth

We must somehow pin this on him and help get Kerry elected.

[NickB79]

103. I call troll

Unless that's a piss-poor job at sarcasm.

[bobbyboucher]

106. I agree.

Sooo funnnnny.

[daleo]

102. There have been plenty of reversals in geologic time

Magnetic reversals provide some of the key evidence for the theory of plate tectonics (sea floor spreading, among other things), so they are extremely well documented scientifically. Obviously life didn't come to a halt. The effect of a reversal on a technological civilization might be something else, though.

[8-Ball]

119. Yes there are.

You can find records of poles swithching polarities right on the sea floor.

[demconfive]

104. COOL!

I'll get to live in the southern hemisphere without having to move.Of course I'll have to ajust to living in the South.Do I have to develop an accent?

[The Animator]

105. Wait!, Wait! I got it!

We could jump start the magnetic field. Lets get a big ass burrowing train, drive it to the center of the Earth, and blow up a newclear bomb. We can get things going right again... trust me, I saw it in a movie once.

[SoCalDem]

107. Or everyone could synchronize their watches and just before it happens,

we could all jump..:)Then we would not feel it...Right??? right??? :)

[2cents]

108. Answer: magnetic duct tape. n/t

[ChavezSpeakstheTruth]

110. THIS IS CLINTON'S FAULT!!!

The fucker!


p.s.- I love the irony when this picture is taken out of context! Morans!

[bikebloke]

115. A Popcorn Novel

The was a novel long ago about magnetic pole reversals. A popcorn disaster read, and I suspect some science is outdated, but it was entertaining and interesting. "The HAB Theory" by Allan Eckert. Googling for the exact title author, I found a site for anyone interested:

http://www.habtheory.com/1/index.php



On Edit: I just looked at the site and was reminded of the plot. It wasn't magnetic shift as I recalled. Never mind.

[Mnemosyne]

118. Why has no one mentioned HAARP????

Scientists on DU, can you please explain possible relationship???
Is there possibly one?