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First Post
15 hours ago
- Science
- First Post
Earth is spinning faster. Why this could become a problem in the future
Today, July 22, the Earth will complete its daily rotation 1.34 milliseconds faster than the standard 24 hours, making it the second shortest day in history. Scientists note that shorter days are becoming the norm. But why is this planet spinning faster? What does it have to do with the Moon? read more The Earth will spin faster today, making it the second-shortest day in history. Representational image/Pixabay Do you feel as if you are running out of time during the day? Are you feeling like you can't fit all your tasks in a day? Well, it's not something you are imagining — today, July 22, will be recorded as the second-shortest day in history. Scientists note that the Earth will complete its daily rotation 1.34 milliseconds faster than the standard 24 hours, making it the second shortest day in history. While this difference hardly makes a difference to our daily lives, it's a puzzling trend in Earth's rotational behaviour that has scientists intrigued. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Moreover, this isn't a one off. Scientists expect another shorter day on August 5 after witnessing a short one on July 9. So, we put on our thinking caps and help in deciphering what's causing the days to become shorter and how it could affect our lives later? Who keeps time and how? Before we get into why days on Earth are getting shorter, let's understand how time is measured. A day is measured as per the time taken by the Earth to complete one full rotation on its axis — 24 hours or 86,400 seconds on average. But the speed of Earth's rotation isn't fixed. During the Mesozoic, dinosaurs experienced 23 hours days, and as early as the Bronze Age, the average day was 0.47 seconds shorter. A 2023 study revealed that billions of years ago, a day was as long as 19 hours owing to the interplay of solar and lunar tidal forces However, over time, the Moon's gravitational pull slowed Earth's spin, gradually lengthening days as the Moon drifts farther away. This process, called tidal friction, has been the main driver of Earth's slowing rotation for eons. A day is measured as per the time taken by the Earth to complete one full rotation on its axis — 24 hours or 86,400 seconds on average. Representational image/Reuters So, what's happening now? Why are days shorter? Since atomic clocks began tracking Earth's rotation precisely in 1973, days were generally slightly longer than 24 hours. However, recent times have shown a surprising twist. Since 2020, Earth has been spinning faster, repeatedly setting new records. The shortest day ever occurred on July 5, 2024, when Earth spun 1.66 milliseconds quicker than normal. And again on July 22, when the Earth will complete its spin 1.34 milliseconds early. And current predictions place the shortest day, August 5, at roughly 1.51 milliseconds shorter than average. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD But what's causing this phenomena? Scientists note that there could be a number of factors that influence the Earth' s spinning rate. One of the primary reasons being the Moon. If it is remote from Earth's equator, the planet spins slightly quicker. A report in explains it accurately: if the Moon is far from the Earth's equator, it creates an off-centre gravitational pull that slightly changes Earth's axial wobble, leading to a small but measurable increase in rotational speed. Melting ice and Earth's changing core are other reasons. Some experts note that the slowing of Earth's liquid core, could result in redistributing angular momentum in a way that makes the mantle and crust spin slightly faster. Ocean level variations and volcanic eruptions also contribute. In fact, earthquakes can also affect the length of our days, say scientists. The spin rate of Earth is affected by many factors, but the moon and the tides have traditionally played a major role. Representational image/Pixabay How these shaved off milliseconds will affect our lives? While we are unlikely to notice such a miniscule difference in time, it could lead to the possibility that scientists will have to add a negative leap second to the calendar by 2029. Wait, what is a negative leap second? Traditionally, when Earth's rotation slowed down over time, scientists added a 'leap second' to Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) to keep civil time aligned with Earth's actual spin. However, as the Earth spins faster, we could soon be ahead of atomic time, which would need us to remove a second. This is what is a negative leap second. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD Duncan Agnew, a professor emeritus of geophysics at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography and a research geophysicist at the University of California, San Diego, told CNN, 'There's never been a negative leap second but the probability of having one between now and 2035 is about 40 per cent.' Judah Levine, a physicist and a fellow of the National Institute of Standards and Technology in the time and frequency division, also concurred with this assessment. 'When the leap second system was defined in 1972, nobody ever really thought that the negative second would ever happen,' he was quoted telling CNN. 'It was just something that was put into the standard because you had to do it for completeness. Everybody assumed that only positive leap seconds would ever be needed, but now the shortening of the days makes (negative leap seconds) in danger of happening, so to speak.' And this could be a huge issue, affecting everything from satellite systems and GPS accuracy to how we measure time itself. It could also have an impact on telecommunications, financial transactions, and electric grids. STORY CONTINUES BELOW THIS AD As Dr David Gozzard, an experimental physicist who specialises in technologies for precisely keeping and synchronising time at the University of Western Australia, told The Guardian, 'Computers, servers, GPS systems, banking and electricity networks, as well as large telescopes, all rely on incredibly accurate synchronisation, sometimes within a fraction of a billionth of a second, he says. 'We're transmitting data so quickly, and it all needs to be time tagged, so computers know what data goes where.' Levine even goes as far as comparing it to the Y2K problem, which threatened to bring modern civilisation to a halt. But for now, time continues to fly. With inputs from agencies
BBC News
16 hours ago
- General
- BBC News
Somerset archaeological dig unearths 3,000-year-old items
A community group has found items dating back 3,000 years during an archaeological Quantock Heritage Group has been holding digs in the village of North Petherton, Somerset, with the help of local the most recent dig at the weekend they found items from the Roman era and Bronze Age, including pottery and a utensil that was likely used for Jones, from the Quantock Heritage Group, said: "These are pieces of pot that were thrown away. We're the first people in all that time to pick up that tiny little piece of pot that they never thought would be around in 3,000 years' time." Paul Revill, who lives in North Petherton and volunteered at the dig, said: "I found odd bits of clay pipe and a little bit of blue and white pottery."Growing up, it's always been an interest. This is the first time I was involved in any archaeology."I'll definitely be back. I'm on to my garden next, I will have a hole or two put in."The next group dig is set to take place in August or September, Mr Jones added.
Yahoo
a day ago
- General
- Yahoo
Vounous Bowl: A 4,000-year-old basin holding 4 miniature cows and 18 people — that was buried for mysterious reasons in a Bronze Age tomb in Cyprus
When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. QUICK FACTS Name: Vounous Bowl What it is: Ceramic vessel with complex figural scene inside Where it is from: Bellapais, northern Cyprus When it was made: Circa 2025 to 1850 B.C. Scholars have debated the meaning of the Vounous Bowl for decades since it was discovered in a Bronze Age tomb in northern Cyprus. While the exact purpose of the unusual vessel is unclear, most experts believe it depicts some sort of sacred scene and may have been used in a religious ceremony. Excavations at the site of Vounous-Bellapais in the 1930s revealed dozens of tombs from a large prehistoric cemetery. Although many of the tombs had previously been looted, archaeologists recovered a large number of intricately decorated ceramics, including the Vounous Bowl, which had broken into many pieces over the ages. The Vounous Bowl, which is now in the Cyprus Museum, is shallow with a flat base measuring 14.6 inches (37 centimeters) in diameter and 3.1 inches (8 cm) tall, Louise Steel, an archaeologist at the University of Wales Trinity Saint David, wrote in a 2013 study. Related: Roman dodecahedron: A mysterious 12-sided object that has baffled archaeologists for centuries One side of the bowl has a rough, rectangular hole that likely indicates a doorway. Inside the bowl is a complex scene composed of 18 human figures, four cows in pens and some furniture. Opposite the doorway is a structure with three pillars linked by two cross bars with wavy lines — which may be a shrine — and a human figure kneeling in front of it. Some figures are seated on a bench with their arms crossed, and one figure appears to be wearing a headdress and sitting on a kind of throne. In a 1994 study, Edgar Peltenburg, emeritus professor of archaeology at the University of Edinburgh, suggested that the Vounous Bowl had three distinct scenes inside — including a pastoral scene with the cows; an indication of male power with the individual wearing the headdress; and a representation of the spiritual world with the kneeling figures. Together, these scenes reflected a new, hierarchical social order that was developing at this time. MORE ASTONISHING ARTIFACTS —Penguin Vessel: 1,600-year-old Nazca depiction of a cold-water Humboldt penguin that lives in tropical Peru —Monomachos Crown: The 1,000-year-old crown honoring 'the one who fights alone' found by a farmer in a field —Assyrian swimmers: 2,900-year-old carving of soldiers using inflatable goat skins to cross a river Steel wrote that the Vounous Bowl was likely a means of symbolic communication, created at a time when the quickly growing population began engaging in elaborate communal feasts and elaborate burial rituals. The use of modeled figures to create a scene inside the bowl is extremely rare in prehistoric Cypriot vessels, so the Vounous Bowl was likely special in some way and buried with someone held in high esteem by their community. The Vounous Bowl was made at a time of social transition and rapid cultural innovation, and "almost certainly it was meant to be viewed or displayed in significant ceremonial occasions," Steel wrote. "The Vounous Bowl is just one example of an increased display of symbols within the funerary context."
Economic Times
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Economic Times
12,000 years of art? Ancient Mongolian elk carvings morph into mysterious wolf symbols
Live Events When did elk art become abstract and why? What does this change say about ancient Mongolian life? FAQs (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel The Altai Mountains in Mongolia have ancient rock carvings that tell a story that goes back 12,000 years. This started out as realistic pictures of elk and has turned into abstract, wolf-like images in 12,000 years of Altai rock art in western Mongolia have undergone an incredible transformation, according to a recent study by Dr. Esther Jacobson-Tepfer published in the Cambridge Archaeological did elk carvings begin and how realistic were they?The new study of rock art in western Mongolia shows that elk images have changed over the past 12,000 years, going from realistic carvings to abstract, symbolic figures that look like change in art style shows how the climate, mobility, and cultural identity in the Altai region have changed a lot over the years. Over the course of thousands of years, both people and animals evolved at the same the Late Paleolithic (around 12,000 BP) to the Bronze Age and into the Early Iron Age, the Altai region, which is where Mongolia, Russia, China, and Kazakhstan converge, has one of the longest continuous rock art traditions in the world. Elk (Cervus elaphus sibiricus) carvings were unique among prehistoric carvings, as per a report by Archaeology were depicted in their natural settings in the earliest paintings, occasionally alongside their young or alongside other extant creatures like woolly rhinos and mammoths. A profound observational understanding of the natural world was demonstrated by these early representations, which were carved in profile with proportional realism and vestigial time, particularly during the Bronze Age, they underwent significant evolution. Elk grew more active and were incorporated into more and more human activity contexts, like later Bronze Age saw the transition from realism to abstraction, with the elongated elk, exaggerated antlers, and distorted facial details into shapes resembling snouts or beaks. Over time, elk lost much of their resemblance to the actual animal and instead became a symbol, perhaps of spirituality, clan identity, or would be impossible for painted images to survive outdoors in the Altai Mountains due to the climate and the significant amount of time that has passed since the Bronze and Early Iron Ages. The only known surviving painted elk image is located in Khoit Tsenkir cave in Khovd and environmental change seem to be closely linked to this symbolic development. Forests, which were desirable habitats for elk, receded as the Eurasian steppe cooled and dried during the elk moved west, the changing terrain led to a rise in the number of people practicing pastoralism. As carvings emerge at higher elevations over time, rock art itself bears witness to this Jacobson-Tepfer's extensive fieldwork experience in the area highlights the impact of climate and movement on everyday life and discovered a huge glacial boulder that overlooked a wide valley floor in 1995 while surveying Tsagaan Salaa IV. Among hundreds of them, one distorted, unearthly image of an elk was carved on its described the boulder as more than just an artifact; it was a symbol of changing cultural identity, writing, "It seemed to reflect a complex interweaving of deep geological time, iconography, and its social implications."Eventually, horseback riding altered how people interacted with the outside world. Symbolizing new social hierarchies and mobility, art featured stylized animals on personal a living component of the natural world, the elk has evolved into a symbolic animal. It vanished entirely from the tradition of art by the time of the shift reflects environmental change, increased pastoralism, and a changing cultural likely to be symbols of status, clan identity, or spiritual belief than actual animals.
Time of India
3 days ago
- Science
- Time of India
12,000 years of art? Ancient Mongolian elk carvings morph into mysterious wolf symbols
The Altai Mountains in Mongolia have ancient rock carvings that tell a story that goes back 12,000 years. This started out as realistic pictures of elk and has turned into abstract, wolf-like symbols. Elk images in 12,000 years of Altai rock art in western Mongolia have undergone an incredible transformation, according to a recent study by Dr. Esther Jacobson-Tepfer published in the Cambridge Archaeological Journal. Explore courses from Top Institutes in Select a Course Category Design Thinking Healthcare Technology PGDM Leadership Product Management Data Analytics Data Science Degree Management Operations Management Project Management healthcare Digital Marketing Artificial Intelligence CXO others MBA MCA Data Science Finance Others Public Policy Cybersecurity Skills you'll gain: Duration: 25 Weeks IIM Kozhikode CERT-IIMK PCP DTIM Async India Starts on undefined Get Details Skills you'll gain: Duration: 22 Weeks IIM Indore CERT-IIMI DTAI Async India Starts on undefined Get Details How did elk carvings begin and how realistic were they? The new study of rock art in western Mongolia shows that elk images have changed over the past 12,000 years, going from realistic carvings to abstract, symbolic figures that look like wolves. Live Events This change in art style shows how the climate, mobility, and cultural identity in the Altai region have changed a lot over the years. Over the course of thousands of years, both people and animals evolved at the same time. ALSO READ: Astronomer CEO scandal fallout hits Dublin man with same name - Wife demands flowers after husband mistaken for Andy Byron From the Late Paleolithic (around 12,000 BP) to the Bronze Age and into the Early Iron Age, the Altai region, which is where Mongolia, Russia, China, and Kazakhstan converge, has one of the longest continuous rock art traditions in the world. Elk (Cervus elaphus sibiricus) carvings were unique among prehistoric carvings, as per a report by Archaeology Mag. Elk were depicted in their natural settings in the earliest paintings, occasionally alongside their young or alongside other extant creatures like woolly rhinos and mammoths. A profound observational understanding of the natural world was demonstrated by these early representations, which were carved in profile with proportional realism and vestigial legs. When did elk art become abstract and why? Over time, particularly during the Bronze Age, they underwent significant evolution. Elk grew more active and were incorporated into more and more human activity contexts, like hunting. The later Bronze Age saw the transition from realism to abstraction, with the elongated elk, exaggerated antlers, and distorted facial details into shapes resembling snouts or beaks. Over time, elk lost much of their resemblance to the actual animal and instead became a symbol, perhaps of spirituality, clan identity, or status. It would be impossible for painted images to survive outdoors in the Altai Mountains due to the climate and the significant amount of time that has passed since the Bronze and Early Iron Ages. The only known surviving painted elk image is located in Khoit Tsenkir cave in Khovd Aimag. What does this change say about ancient Mongolian life? Social and environmental change seem to be closely linked to this symbolic development. Forests, which were desirable habitats for elk, receded as the Eurasian steppe cooled and dried during the Holocene. As elk moved west, the changing terrain led to a rise in the number of people practicing pastoralism. As carvings emerge at higher elevations over time, rock art itself bears witness to this change. Dr. Jacobson-Tepfer's extensive fieldwork experience in the area highlights the impact of climate and movement on everyday life and art. She discovered a huge glacial boulder that overlooked a wide valley floor in 1995 while surveying Tsagaan Salaa IV. Among hundreds of them, one distorted, unearthly image of an elk was carved on its surface. She described the boulder as more than just an artifact; it was a symbol of changing cultural identity, writing, "It seemed to reflect a complex interweaving of deep geological time, iconography, and its social implications." Eventually, horseback riding altered how people interacted with the outside world. Symbolizing new social hierarchies and mobility, art featured stylized animals on personal items. Once a living component of the natural world, the elk has evolved into a symbolic animal. It vanished entirely from the tradition of art by the time of the Turks. FAQs Why did ancient elk carvings change so dramatically over time? The shift reflects environmental change, increased pastoralism, and a changing cultural identity. What do the abstract elk images depict? More likely to be symbols of status, clan identity, or spiritual belief than actual animals. Economic Times WhatsApp channel )
