Month: November 2020

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This is How Scientists Figured Out the Age of the Earth

How old humanity is will remain a point of contention probably for as long as there are people around to argue.

When it comes to the age of this beauty, disastrous planet we all call home, though, scientists are pretty much in agreement as far as when she was born in a fury of explosions and creation.

Image Credit: iStock

What you’ll find if you Google this question (aside from my amazingly succinct and informative article), is that – since the 1950s – scientists have been secure in the belief that the earth is around 4.54 billion years old (plus or minus 50 million years).

People have been working on the answer to this question for a few hundred years, actually, all the way back to Greek philosopher Aristotle. He believed that time had no beginning and no end, and that the earth was infinitely old.

In ancient India, religious scholars envisioned a universe that perpetually exploded, expanded, and collapsed before beginning again – their calculations were that this had been happening for around 1.97 billion years.

Image Credit: iStock

In the Middle Ages, Christian scholars combed the Bible for clues, coming up with much shorter estimates, somewhere between 5471 and 7519 years.

From the Renaissance on, scientists looked at factors from the planet’s rate of cooling, the accumulation of sediment, and the chemical evolution but came up with such wide-ranging answers there couldn’t be a consensus.

Around the turn of the 20th century, scientists discovered they could calculate how old a rock was by measuring radioactive decay, from which we got carbon dating – a reliable method for measuring large swaths of time.

In the 1950s, a geochemist named Clair C. Patterson – who had worked on the Manhattan Project – measured the isotopic composition of lead from the Canyon Diablo meteorite and other space rock samples that correlated to the formation of the earth.

Image Credit: Public Domain

His estimate – 4.5 billion years.

That number has been revised only slightly in the decades since.

Patterson recalled later that “no one cared about it.”

Image Credit: Public Domain

He feels that remains true even today, and maybe even less so.

It’s pretty cool to think about, though – rocks from space can tell us how long our planet has been around.

It’s like alien but not, and if you take the time to ponder it for a few minutes more, I doubt you’ll be sorry!

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Memes That Pay Tribute to Doggos

There’s only one thing better than having a dog: having more than one dog. Dogs are just sort of these endless fountains of joy. And also fur. They’re fur fountains that bring us happiness, and thus we must pay tribute to them with our memes.

Here are fourteen such memes to make your heart go squeal.

14. A fair warning

Oh I am VERY aware of dog, don’t you worry.

Via: Someecards

13. Trick questions

Get this pupper on Doggo Jeopardy.

Via: Someecards

12. A slice of happiness

I’d take a piece of that.

Via: Someecards

11. Rules are rules

“Why must you do this every time I’m about my business, Greg?”

Via: Someecards

10. That’s the stuff

Why this rips me to the very core.

Via: Someecards

9. Flood of joy

10/10, would drown here, heckin good way to die.

Via: Someecards

8. I’m a pupper person

If you ain’t got the boi, ya don’t bring me joy.

Via: Someecards

7. So long, salon

What wizardry is this?!

Via: Someecards

6. Join us, join us, join us…

Where do I sign up for this program?

Via: Someecards

5. Growing up

There’s um…there’s something in my eye.

Via: Someecards

4. The final countdown

Ok, you actually just blew my mind.

Via: Someecards

3. Shifting blame

Is this the Taco Bell dog?

Via: Someecards

2. Go fetch

When you’re mid-poop and you realize you’ve run out.

Via: Someecards

1. Up we go

That dog is very patient but has clearly seen enough today.

Via: Someecards

We don’t deserve dogs. But don’t tell them that. I’d really like to keep ’em anyway.

What’s your favorite thing about doggos?

Tell us in the comments.

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Funny Tweets to Improve Your Day

I bet you didn’t know that there are over 5,000 tweets sent out every single second. It’s impossible to wrap my head around that number of tweets. That means that there was a new oooooonnnneee NOW.

And NOW.

And NOW.

And now and now and now andnowandnowandNOW.

And juuuuuuust now.

AND NOW.

…and now.

You know what, this is getting exhausted, let’s just look at some of the ones that caught our eye recently.

10. What a morning

I mean, technically it’s a bar. Call it a Pavlovian response.

9. Gimme yum yums

Mmm, yes, interesting, curly fries, please do go on.

8. The truth comes out

Speak from the truest part of yourself.

7. Stuck in the middle

Just like this hot pocket, I’m ice cold on the inside.

6. No you don’t

The only place I’m driving you is crazy.

5. Consumed by thought

It’s really been eating me up.

4. I see dead people

If that’s what the afterlife is I hope I never die.

3. Avoidant joys

Sorry for explaining that. Thank you. Sorry.

2. Shrinkage

The hot stuff doesn’t leave you feeling like hot stuff.

1. Oh, dip

Don’t forget fruitlessly half-trying to clean up the crumbs.

There are so very many tweets, and so little time. We’ll never be able to keep up with all of the clever things people are saying on the platform, but at least we’ve found a few gems among the deluge to enjoy.

Who are your favorite people to follow on Twitter?

Tell us who you think we should be following in the comments.

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Futurists Weigh In on What Our World Might Look Like in 500 Years

Barring any significant scientific advancements, none of us alive today are going to be around in 500 years. That doesn’t mean we can’t harbor some curiosity about whether or not our planet will look the same for our descendents, or different?

If it’s going to look different, how will it look different? It can be a crazy thing to consider, and not just from a technology point of view, either.

Image Credit: Pexels

500 years ago, after all, the world barely resembles the one we see all around us today. It was in the midst of a small Ice Age, and a period of vast European exploration and discovery.

When looking ahead several centuries, it’s hard to say for sure, largely because we remain unsure how the relationship between humans and the natural world is going to develop. We’ve been leaving our mark on the Earth since the Neolithic Age, manipulating the evolution of domestic plants and animal species, transforming the landscape, and of course, burning fossil fuels to our heart’s consent.

We’ve altered the planet’s climate, which continues to change and affect everything around us. Carbon dioxide levels are up to 412 parts per million as of the end of 2019, and global temperatures and sea levels are also on the rise.

Our planet is warming, and scientists have been warning for decades that natural disasters, food shortages, and other catastrophic events will eventually lead to social unrest, mass migration, and increased conflict.

Will the 26th century humans be dealing with the fallout of our lack of action? Or will they be looking back and thanking us for changing course while there was still time?

Image Credit: Pexels

Technology will surely continue to advance, and theoretical physicist Michio Kaku predicts that, by then, humans will be a civilization that’s learned to harness the entire sum of a planet’s energy. That means they would be able to use any clean energy technology we’ve imagined, and probably some that we haven’t.

Other theoretical futurists disagree, citing political and economic forces being likely to thwart any real steps toward progress.

Machine learning will be AMAZING, though. Stephen Hawking weighed in, proposing that by the year 2600, we would be publishing theoretical physics papers every 10 seconds. Moore’s Law says computer speed and complexity double every 18 months, so some of this work would surely be done by machines, without assistance.

Chew on that for a minute.

Other ideas include the average human lifespan stretching to 140 years, and that the digital storage of human personalities will let humans achieve a sort of immortality. We’ll be farming oceans, traveling in starships, and living on the moon and on Mars while robots take on the great frontiers.

Image Credit: Pexels

If any or all of that sounds pretty cool to you, I suggest you start calling your representatives today and pushing for action on climate change.

Otherwise we’re just going to be fighting over land and food instead of living on Mars.

And you’ve gotta agree that one of those things sounds way cooler than the other.

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Learn About the World’s Deepest Underwater Trench, and 5 Other Facts About the Pacific Ocean’s “Ring of Fire”

There are few things as fascinating as the deepest, darkest parts of the ocean. We have no idea what’s down there, for one, and the mythology and lore surrounding spots like the “ring of fire” in the Pacific are enough to pique anyone’s curiosity.

The “ring of fire” is a vast loop of volcanoes, trenches, and other seismically active delights that run all through the in-aptly named Pacific Ocean. Those 24,900 miles are where the majority of the world’s earthquakes and volcanic events take place.

If you’re chomping at the bit to learn more, don’t worry – we’ve got 6 great facts for you below!

6. It could help set up a new “supercontinent.”

Image Credit: Wikipedia

The Pacific has so many subduction zones that it should shrink significantly over the next 250 million years, bringing Asia, Australia, and both Americans together again.

As with most far-off science, there’s no consensus – others think the Atlantic or Artic Oceans will disappear first.

5. It touches more than 15 countries.

Image Credit: Public Domain

The “ring of fire” touches the western coasts of South, Central, and North America, sweeping up toward Alaska before ambling by Russia and through Japan.

From there, it lines up to hit the Philippines, Indonesia, Papua New Guinea, and New Zealand on its worldwide tour.

It ends in a number of volcanoes near northwestern Antarctica.

4. It produces a ton of geothermal energy.

Image Credit: Wikipedia

The interior of our planet is a source of nearly endless renewable energy, none of which emits greenhouse gasses.

The United States, Indonesia, Japan, New Zealand, and the Philippines have all capitalized on these natural hot water reservoirs for years.

3. It all comes down to plate tectonics.

Image Credit: Public Domain

The planet is divided into 15-20 tectonic plates that drift over molten lava-like stuff that exists deeper inside the earth. There are three types of boundaries between them, and the “ring of fire” are home to all three.

Divergent boundaries occur when two neighboring plates move in opposite directions, generating new crust in the process.

The huge Pacific Plate is bring pushed away from four others by the another type, the East Pacific Rise.

And in California we have the transform boundary, where two plates sideswipe each other horizontally. The friction is what causes earthquakes.

2. Volcanoes and earthquakes abound.

Image Credit: Public Domain

There are around 452 active and dormant volcanoes through the “ring of fire,” which accounts for around 75% of the world’s volcanic activity.

90% of the world’s earthquakes occur in the general area, with some of history’s most shocking natural disasters all originating around the area’s volatile tectonic boundaries.

1. It’s home to the Mariana Trench.

Image Credit: Hussong, Fryer

A convergent boundary appears when plates collide head-on, and an excellent example sis how the Nazca plate is currently being driven underneath the South American continental plate. The ensuing subduction zone is setting off earthquakes like crazy, while lifting mountains and causing volcanoes to erupt at the same time.

The giant Pacific Plate is being overridden by the Philippine Sea Plate and creating the Mariana Trench, a yawning underwater chasm that’s deeper than Mt. Everest is high. The deepest part of the Mariana Trench, the “Challenger Deep,” has been measured at 36,070 feet below sea level.

The more you know, right?

Good luck to your opponents at your next night of Trivial Pursuit – they’re gonna need it!

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This is How Fireworks Really Work

Whether you love them or hate them, fireworks are here to stay. Too many people fall into the “love” camp on this one – anyone without dogs or little kids, or who can wear earplugs if they need to, basically – and they really are a dazzling, fun way to celebrate any ol’ thing.

You might be curious how they work, though, or how we came up with exploding pretty things in the first place – and if so, we’ve got some fun info for you below.

Firecrackers are a form of fireworks that are smaller and simpler. They’ve been around for hundreds of years, and consist of black powder (gunpowder) in a tight paper tube, and a fuse used to light it.

Image Credit: iStock

Gunpowder contains charcoal, sulfur, and potassium nitrate, though the powder used in fireworks may have aluminum, too, to brighten the explosion.

A sparkler burns over a longer period of time, producing bright and showery lights, and contains different compounds – fuel, an oxidizer, iron or steel powder, and a binder.

Image Credit: Pexels

The fuel is generally charcoal and sulfur, and potassium nitrate is the most common oxidizer. The binder is sugar or starch, and then the whole thing is mixed with water and dipped onto a wire – voila! a sparkler.

To create the bright, shimmering sparks in both firecrackers and sparklers, aluminum, iron, steel, zinc, and magnesium are used, because when the metal fakes heat up they shine incandescently. Different chemicals can be added to create the different colors that make us ooh and ahh.

The large fireworks that you see at displays on the 4th of July or at sporting events are called aerial fireworks, and they’re made up of a shell. A shell has four parts – a container, stars, a bursting charge, and a fuse.

Image Credit: Pexels

Below the shell is a small cylinder that contains the lifting charge to get it off the ground.

The shell is launched from a mortar, like a short, steel pipe with black powder to lift it into the air.

When it launches the shell, it lights the fuse, which burns until the shell reaches the desired altitude before it explodes.

Image Credit: iStock

There are more complicated shells, called multi-break shells, that burst in two or three phases to create different colors or compositions or brighter or softer light. Some of the crackle, or whistle, etc. They’re basically shells within shells, each ignited by a separate fuse, or perhaps set up so that the bursting of one shell ignites the next one and so on.

The different patterns are created by the arrangement of pellets inside the shell. If you space the pellets equally in a circle, you’ll see a set of small explosions equally spaced in a circle. Basically, whatever you want to see in the sky, you create it in the shell with the pellets, then place explosive charges in order to blow them outward into a large figure.

Image Credit: Pexels

I’m kind of surprised that things are a bit simpler than I figured, but I suppose that’s the way with most things, once you pry the lid off.

Even so, I’m not going to be making my own fireworks anytime soon – best to sit back and enjoy, and leave the explodey things to the experts, don’t you think?

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