6 startling facts about planet Earth that are hard to believe
Miscellaneous / / November 27, 2021
Let's talk about microorganisms that consume uranium, estimate the gold reserve in the planet's core and find out what viruses feel like.
1. There are bacteria that breathe radioactive uranium and oil
Usually, when the word "radiation" is used, most people imagine some kind of invisible but deadly force that kills everything that it touches. But in fact, there are organisms that use ionizing radiation to their advantage.
For example, in an old mine in the American town of Rifle, Colorado, a strain of beta-proteobacteria was foundBacteria Use Radioactive Uranium To Convert Water Molecules To Useable Energy / Indiana University Press Geobacter that somehow assimilate radioactive uranium. They use it in their metabolic reactions in much the same way that humans use oxygen. That is literally breathingHelpful uranium-munching bacteria breathe it through electric wires / Ars Technica uranium.
In theory, bacteria can be of great benefit by rendering the substance inert and harmless, thus cleaning up radioactive waste. In addition, there are other types of Geobacter that consume
S. E. Childers, S. Ciufo, D. R. Lovley. Geobacter metallireducens accesses insoluble Fe (III) oxide by chemotaxis / Nature petroleum compounds and iron oxides, i.e. rust.In general, if you are worried that humanity will destroy the Earth's ecosystem with its rash actions and all living things will die out, you know, there is nothing to worry about.
Even if the entire planet is covered with radioactive fallout and oil products, life on the planet will remain in the form of Geobacter. And there they will develop into multicellular organisms, stand on their feet and reinvent the wheel.
2. Sometimes it rains on Earth from live frogs and fish
Many different things often fall from the sky. Usually this is commonplace water, but it happens that more rare objects fall on people's heads.C. Barnett. Rain: A Natural and Cultural History - and it's not just about meteorites. For example, in 2005 in Serbia, storm clouds brought a shower of tiny frogs. A similar case occurred in 2007 in the province of Alicante in Spain. There have also been rains of fish, shrimp and crows in the history of meteorological observations.
But the most terrible cataclysm of this kind happened in the Argentine province of Salta in 2007. It was raining spiders.
Someone, seeing this, will cry out that this is the punishment of heaven. But in fact, such phenomena are explainable.Strange Rain: Why Fish, Frogs and Golf Balls Fall From the Skies / Smithsonian Magazine scientifically. From time to time, powerful tornadoes and tornadoes lift various objects into the air, carry them several tens of kilometers, and then they fall to the ground. Usually these are inanimate things, like nuts, seeds, stones or salt, but sometimes the wind picks up various small animals, birds and insects.
It happens that the unfortunate animals land in a frozen state, if they are raised too high - to those layers of the atmosphere where the temperature is negative. But often amphibians and birds survive, come to their senses and master new surroundings. Such is the unplanned migration.
3. Volcano Stromboli has been erupting continuously for 13,000 years
A volcanic eruption is usually perceived as a catastrophic, but rather rare and short-lived event. There is a mountain for itself, does not touch anyone, and then, as it bangs, and whole Pompeii is accidentally erased from the face of the Earth. But there are also such volcanoes for which it is in the order of things to erupt constantly, without stopping.
For example, a volcanoA. Aiuppa. The 2007 eruption of Stromboli volcano: Insights from real-time measurement of the volcanic gas plume CO2 / SO2 ratio / Journal of Volcanology and Geothermal Research on the island of Stromboli, north of Sicily, has been continuously releasing lava, ash and gases for 13,000 years. With a break of about 15-20 minutes, it explodesA. Tibaldi, C. Corazzato. Subaerial-submarine evidence of structures feeding magma to Stromboli Volcano, Italy, and relations with edifice flank failure and creep / Tectonophysics and spews out a clot of lava and a jet of ash up to several hundred meters in height. Due to the fact that its crimson glow is visible in the dark for many kilometers, it is called the "Lighthouse of the Mediterranean".
It sounds crazy, but people live on the island at the foot of the volcano.
Truly catastrophic eruptionsStromboli Island / Britannica they rarely happen here - the last was in 1930 and led to a landslide, rockfalls, the destruction of several houses and the death of at least six people. In 2002, another thing happened, because of which the residents had to be evacuated for a while. Nevertheless, later the islanders returned - the risky guys, these Sicilians.
4. 99% of our planet's gold reserves are hidden in its core
Gold is expensive because it is a rare metal. Geological prospectors need to spend a lot of time and effort to find the places of occurrence of the gold veins. However, if we knew how to dig really deep mines and could safely dissect in molten rocks, then we would have at our disposal a much larger amount of precious metals.
Researchers at the University of Bristol have establishedM. Willbold. The tungsten isotopic composition of the Earth's mantle before the terminal bombardment / Naturethat most of the gold and platinum found on our planet is located not in its crust, but in the very depths, next to the core. By the most conservative estimates, there are at least 1.6 quadrillion (this is a number followed by 15 zeros) tons of yellow metal floundering there.
If we could extract all the gold and platinum from the core, we would cover the planet's surface with a layer four meters thick. Only you would not be happy about it, because all this good is in a molten form.
A long time ago, about 4.5 billion years ago, when the Earth first formed, it was liquid. And all the gold sank into its core and the inner layers around it. Then the planet cooled down and became that solid silicon-silicate ball that we all know and love.
About 3.9 billion years ago, the long-suffering planet underwent an asteroidM. Willbold. The tungsten isotopic composition of the Earth's mantle before the terminal bombardment / Nature strike, which was called the Late Heavy Bombardment. The moon also got hit, and therefore it is still covered with craters. It was these asteroids that brought gold to Earth, which we all use. That is, your jewelry is literally of an alien origin.
But in some depositsScientists reveals the mystery about the origin of gold / University of Granada of our planet, gold is still its own, native, not meteorite. For example, in the Deseado mountain range located in Argentina. There, the movement of rocks in the planet's mantle threw out some deep precious metals closer to the surface.
5. Earth's magnetic poles periodically change places
Yes exactly. From time to time, the polarity of our planet's magnetic field changes. Say, if you put a compass in your hands and send you back in timeMagnetic Pole Reversal Happens All The (Geologic) Time / NASA some 800,000 years ago, its arrow will point not to the north, but to the south. This is how you begin to look for the equator, and you will come to the Arctic Ocean.
This phenomenon is called the inversion of the Earth's magnetic field. The process happens by chanceT. M. Lutz. The magnetic reversal record is not periodic / Nature, and it is not yet clear why. But the inversion does not happen instantly - it takes, on average, several hundred thousand years. Over the past 83 million years, the poles have changed about 183 times.
There are hypotheses that the process is somehow connected with mass extinctions, because during the pole change, more cosmic radiation gets to the Earth.
However, these are only assumptions, the statisticalR. E. Plotnick. Relationship between biological extinctions and geomagnetic reversals / Geology no relationship between extinctions and the Earth's magnetic field has been found. The entire biosphere on the planet, apparently, is simply indifferent to what is going on with the poles - even in birds, their internal compass is designed so as to navigateEarth to birds: Take the next left / Knowable Magazine both in the normal field and in the inverted one.
And no, this does not mean that the planet is being turned upside down physically. If this happens, we will have much more serious problemsthan lost compasses. For example, such a coup would blow away the atmosphere. But this cannot happen: there is no force to turn the Earth around.
6. There are more viruses on Earth than there are stars in the observable universe
Nothing special, just a curious figure to think about. If you think that people rule the Earth, you are wrong. We are clearly outnumbered compared to the real masters of the planet.
The fact is that the Earth is inhabited byThere are more viruses than stars in the universe. Why do only some infect us? / National Geographic about 10 nonillions (this is a number followed by 30 zeros) of individual viruses. There are more of themMicrobiology by numbers / Nature Reviews Microbiologythan the stars of the observable Universe, by a factor of 100 million. Live with it now.
The AIDS virus, collected from all over the earth, fits in a tablespoon. All such microorganisms living in human bodies will occupy a dozen oil barrels.
In general, all viruses from the planet, taken together, make up a small mountain. Which, however, then spreads around the neighborhood. Most likely by consistencyR. Munroe. What If? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions all this goodness will resemble something in between pus and meat gruel of yellowish-white color.
True, the author of the article was unable to find in scientific sources what would happen to a madman who would take it into his head to dive there.
But it is known what will become of civilization if all viruses are collected in one heap and hidden away in an airtight storage: humanity will die outUseful eaters. What will happen to us if all viruses disappear? / BBC Future two days after a serious but short illness.
The fact is that there are less than a fraction of a percent of dangerous pathogens in the world, and almost all existing viruses are either harmless to us, or even necessary.
Those of them called bacteriophages destroy pathogens, including those inside us. In addition, they regulate the balance of plankton and algae in the oceans, without which the process of oxygen formation would be impossible. So, despite the stereotypes, most viruses are more good guys than villains.