Do any of you remember the hit 2003 movie "The Core," where a scrappy group of scientists detonates a nuclear bomb at the center of the planet in order to start it spinning again?

(Great movie btw.)

Well, that may have seemed like fiction at the time, but little did you know it was entirely scientific (aside from the nuke anyway)?

Data from seismograms from repeated earthquakes and explosions on Earth indicate that the rotation speed of the solid inner core has been constantly degrading compared to the Earth's surface over the past few years, according to a new finding published in the journal Nature in June this year. ...

[A] model, proposed in 2023, described the pattern of rotation speed and direction of Earth core. The model proposed that the inner core of the Earth had spun faster than Earth's crust in past, but was now spinning slower.

Here's the weirdest part:

For a while, core and the Earth's rotation matched. Later, the rotation speed of the Earth's core reduced even more until it started moving in reverse direction.

Life is funny. Here's a sneak peek of the upcoming cover of the Nature journal:

In any event, what exactly is the effect of this mysterious slowdown and alleged reversal? Well:

A slower-spinning core, studies suggest, could potentially affect Earth's magnetic field, a protective shield safeguarding the planet from deadly solar radiation. It could also fractionally shorten the length of a day.

Better get the crew ready!

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