NASA's Psyche mission to a metal world may reveal the mysteries of Earth's interior

Liftoff to the distant asteroid is scheduled for Oct. 5, 2023 – the beginning of a six-year journey to one of the most unusual objects in the solar system.

Jim Bell, Professor of Earth and Space Exploration, Arizona State University • conversation
Aug. 17, 2023 • ~6 min

How has the inside of the Earth stayed as hot as the Sun's surface for billions of years?

Starting at the surface, you would have to dig nearly 2,000 miles before reaching the Earth’s core. No one could survive that trip – and the 10,000-degree F heat once there would vaporize you anyway.

Shichun Huang, Associate Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences, University of Tennessee • conversation
Jan. 23, 2023 • ~7 min

Magnetism of Himalayan rocks reveals the mountains' complex tectonic history

Earth's magnetic field locks information into lava as it cools into rock. Millions of years later, scientists can decipher this magnetic data to build geologic timelines and maps.

Craig Robert Martin, Ph.D. Student in Earth, Atmospheric and Planetary Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology • conversation
Nov. 2, 2020 • ~9 min

Are the Earth's magnetic poles about to swap places? Strange anomaly gives reassuring clue

The Earth's magnetic field is a lot weaker than we would expect around the island of St Helena.

Andrew Biggin, Professor of Palaeomagnetism, University of Liverpool • conversation
July 20, 2020 • ~7 min

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