A day on Earth could now be of 25 hours due to..., China's Three Gorges dam will now be...
Earth's rotation slowing down- Representative AI image
We have been taught from the very beginning that a day on earth consists of 24 hours; however scientists have now begun to say that due to certain factors like the drifting away of moon and melting of glaciers, the duration of a day on Earth is going to increase to 25 hours. Here are all the details you need to know about the possible changes in duration of a day on earth in the future. US Scientists on 25 hour theory
According to University of Wisconsin-Madison research, the Moon is drifting away from Earth at 3.8 cm per year and the drifting of moon could make Earth's days last 25 hours in about 200 million years.
Stephen Meyers, a professor at the geoscience department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison was quoted as saying by a Live Mint report that the gravitational interactions between the Earth and the Moon could be a primary cause behind the slowing of Earth's rotation.
'As the moon moves away, the Earth is like a spinning figure skater who slows down as they stretch their arms out,' said Meyers.
One more reason that is mentioned by many reports, causing the slowing down of Earth's rotation is the melting of glaciers, causing a significant redistribution of Earth's mass, gradually reducing the speed of Earth's rotation down over time.
Media reports also state that China's Three Gorges Dam, built on the Yangtze River, is also one of the reasons why Earth is not able to rotate to its full speed, causing an increase in the day duration of earth. Therefore, the duration of a day on earth might increase from 24 hours to 25 hours in the years to come.
Scientists say that the change in duration of a day on Earth won't be noticeable in our lifetimes. Instead, it only reflects how planetary dynamics and gravitational forces continue to shape Earth's behavior over geological time.
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Hindustan Times
3 days ago
- Hindustan Times
The US academic partnership with China, under strain for years, faces its biggest threat
WASHINGTON — Frayed by tariff wars and political battles, the academic ties between the U.S. and China are now facing their greatest threat yet as the Trump administration promises to revoke visas for an unknown number of Chinese students and tighten future visa screening. In a brief statement Wednesday, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. will 'aggressively' revoke visas for Chinese students, including those with ties to the Chinese Community Party or studying 'critical fields.' Rubio's statement threatened to widen a chasm between the two nations, building on a yearslong Republican campaign to rid U.S. campuses of Chinese influence and insulate America's research from its strongest economic and military competitor. Rubio's announcement has rattled Chinese students and drawn swift condemnation from the Chinese government and some U.S. lawmakers. It also raised alarm at U.S. campuses that host more than 275,000 students from China and benefit from their tuition payments. Chinese graduate student Kesong Cao, 26, decided to abandon his studies in the U.S. because of Trump's policies. 'I do not feel welcome anymore,' said Cao, a student of cognitive psychology at the University of Wisconsin, who was waiting at Seattle airport Thursday to board a flight home to China. Cao spent eight years in the U.S. and once dreamed of staying as a professor. 'Now it seems like that dream is falling apart,' he said. 'It's a good time to jump ship and think about what I can give back to my own country.' The scope of the visa crackdown wasn't immediately clear, with no explanation on what would constitute ties to the Communist Party. But the impact could be significant if the government goes after any student with family members in the party, said Sun Yun, director of the China program at the Washington-based think tank Stimson Center. Academic leaders in the U.S. have spent years trying to tamp down growing hostility against Chinese students and scholars, saying the benefits of the relationship outweigh the risks. Collaboration between the countries produces tens of thousands of scientific papers a year, yielding major advancements in fields from earthquake prediction to disease treatment. The academic alliance has been built up over decades since both sides resumed diplomatic ties in the 1970s. Chinese researchers are the most frequent international co-authors for U.S. researchers in science and engineering journal articles. Both sides are research powerhouses. Any move that prevents the U.S. from welcoming the smartest people in the world is an 'extremely bad idea,' said L. Rafael Reif, a former president of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who pushed back against anti-China sentiment during President Donald Trump's first term. 'This administration will be known historically as the one that began the decline of the U.S. by completely failing to understand the importance of science and technology — and the importance of gathering the most talented human capital from the world to work together towards a thriving United States,' Reif said in a statement to The Associated Press. During his first term, Trump shortened the visas of some Chinese graduate students from five years to one, and he signed an order barring Chinese students from schools with direct links to the People's Liberation Army. More recently, the administration has taken sweeping action against international students. It revoked the legal status for thousands of foreign students in the U.S. this spring before reversing itself. The administration is also trying to block Harvard from enrolling for students, a move put on hold by a judge. David Lampton, a political scientist at Johns Hopkins University, is worried the U.S. will lose talent. 'American universities and society have always successfully relied on their single-minded search for the world's best brains,' he said. Yet critics say it's a lopsided relationship that primarily benefits China. A State Department spokesperson, Tammy Bruce, told reporters Thursday that the U.S. "will not tolerate the CCP's exploitation of U.S universities or theft of U.S. research, intellectual property or technologies to grow its military power, conduct intelligence collection or repress voices of opposition.' House Republicans issued a report last year finding that hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding has gone toward research that ultimately boosted Chinese advancements in artificial intelligence, semiconductor technology and nuclear weapons. The report argued China's academic collaborations served as 'Trojan horses for technology transfer,' accusing China of 'insidious' exploitation of academic cooperation. At least three American schools have ended their partnerships in China, including the University of Michigan and the Georgia Institute of Technology. Eastern Michigan University was the latest to terminate a Chinese partnership, just hours before Rubio's announcement. Earlier this month, Michigan GOP Reps. John Moolenaar and Tim Walberg wrote to Duke University demanding the school end its campus in China, which was created in a partnership with Wuhan University. The lawmakers raised concerns that the Chinese university has links to the Chinese military, including cyber warfare and satellite tracking. Critics also point to the imbalance in student exchange — only a few hundred U.S. students study abroad in China a year, compared to about 370,000 from China who studied in the U.S. in 2018. President Xi Jinping in 2023 launched a campaign to invite 50,000 young Americans to visit China on exchange and study programs. U.S. universities themselves have come to rely on Chinese students. Even as numbers level off, Chinese students remain the second-largest group of international students in the U.S. behind those from India. Foreign students are typically charged higher tuition rates, subsidizing the education for American students. Gary Locke, a former U.S. ambassador to China, said the visa policy would 'adversely and profoundly' affect U.S. higher education, research institutions, scientific discovery and startups. 'The real story isn't just about visa numbers — it's also about how this changes the competitive landscape for talent, innovation and economic growth in America. Treating every Chinese student as a security threat distorts facts and fuels discrimination against Chinese Americans,' said Locke, now chair of Committee of 100, a group of prominent Chinese Americans focused on U.S.-China relations and issued faced by Chinese citizens in the U.S. Associated Press writers Jocelyn Gecker in San Francisco, Matthew Lee in Washington, and Terry Tang in Phoenix contributed to this report. The Associated Press' education coverage receives financial support from multiple private foundations. is solely responsible for all content. Find 's standards for working with philanthropies, a list of supporters and funded coverage areas at .org.
India.com
3 days ago
- India.com
A day on Earth could now be of 25 hours due to..., China's Three Gorges dam will now be...
Earth's rotation slowing down- Representative AI image We have been taught from the very beginning that a day on earth consists of 24 hours; however scientists have now begun to say that due to certain factors like the drifting away of moon and melting of glaciers, the duration of a day on Earth is going to increase to 25 hours. Here are all the details you need to know about the possible changes in duration of a day on earth in the future. US Scientists on 25 hour theory According to University of Wisconsin-Madison research, the Moon is drifting away from Earth at 3.8 cm per year and the drifting of moon could make Earth's days last 25 hours in about 200 million years. Stephen Meyers, a professor at the geoscience department at the University of Wisconsin-Madison was quoted as saying by a Live Mint report that the gravitational interactions between the Earth and the Moon could be a primary cause behind the slowing of Earth's rotation. 'As the moon moves away, the Earth is like a spinning figure skater who slows down as they stretch their arms out,' said Meyers. One more reason that is mentioned by many reports, causing the slowing down of Earth's rotation is the melting of glaciers, causing a significant redistribution of Earth's mass, gradually reducing the speed of Earth's rotation down over time. Media reports also state that China's Three Gorges Dam, built on the Yangtze River, is also one of the reasons why Earth is not able to rotate to its full speed, causing an increase in the day duration of earth. Therefore, the duration of a day on earth might increase from 24 hours to 25 hours in the years to come. Scientists say that the change in duration of a day on Earth won't be noticeable in our lifetimes. Instead, it only reflects how planetary dynamics and gravitational forces continue to shape Earth's behavior over geological time.
News18
4 days ago
- News18
Moon Drifting Away: Will Earth Have 25 Hour Days?
1/9 Our planet currently runs on a 24-hour day, which shapes our daily routines of work, rest, and recreation. But what if we had 25 hours in a day? While that may sound exciting, it's a change that only future generations, far into the future, might experience. Let's explore why. According to a report by The Times of India, researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison have found that the Moon is drifting away from the Earth at a rate of approximately 3.8 centimetres per year. Though this fact has been known for some time, the long-term effects are now attracting more attention. According to experts, as the moon drifts further away, it will slow the Earth's rotation, eventually resulting in a 25-hour day. 3/9 Professor David Waltham, from Royal Holloway, University of London, explains that this is due to tidal forces gradually slowing the Earth's rotation. The Moon's gravitational pull creates tidal bulges on Earth, which act like a brake, slowly reducing the planet's spin. In turn, some of the energy lost by Earth is transferred to the Moon, causing it to slowly recede from us. The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences and referenced in a Times of India report, also offers insights into Earth's distant past. Around 1.4 billion years ago, when the Moon was significantly closer, a day on Earth lasted just over 18 hours. Since then, as the Moon has moved further away, the length of a day has gradually increased to the 24-hour cycle we know today. The moon plays a vital role in regulating our planet, especially in influencing ocean tides. When the moon is closer, it creates more powerful tidal waves, potentially even daily tsunamis. As it moves away, these tidal effects lessen. The gravitational interplay between the Earth and the moon keeps this balance in check. However, other planets, such as Mars and Jupiter, also exert gravitational pull on the moon, contributing to its continued drift. This change in distance directly affects how fast the Earth spins. The moon's gravitational force drives tidal waves, which help regulate the planet's rotation. As the moon retreats, its influence diminishes, leading to what scientists call "tidal acceleration" a gradual slowing of Earth's rotation, and a reduction in the height and frequency of tides. 7/9 During the Apollo missions, scientists installed reflectors on the lunar surface and used laser beams to measure the moon's distance precisely. These readings confirm the moon's steady movement away from Earth. At present, the Moon is on average about 384,400 kilometres from Earth and takes roughly 27.3 days to complete one orbit. Current estimates suggest that in around 200 million years, Earth could experience 25-hour days. While this shift doesn't currently impact our daily lives, researchers warn of potential future effects on climate, tides, and ecosystems. A longer day could alter our circadian rhythms, affect agriculture, and even disrupt natural behaviours in wildlife.
