List of All Articles with Tag 'i'

The name “core” suggests something hard and fixed but, it turns out, the Earth’s core is leaking. That is, at least, according to a team of top scientists, who drew the conclusion after analysing 62-million-old Arctic rocks. Geochemists from the California Institute of Technology and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution detected record concentrations of helium 3 (3He) and helium 4 (4He) isotopes in the rocks, which suggest a slow trickle up from the very heart of our planet. They believe there could be reserves of the elusive gas buried some 2,900km underground. Helium is a surprisingly rare element on the Earth’s surface and experts have yet to establish just how much of it remains trapped deep beneath our feet. However, the new discovery has provided them with a fresh insight into the most mysterious region of our world. Understanding the presence of these helium isotopes could illuminate key processes in the core, such as how the Earth generated its life-protecting magnetic field. Most helium in the universe dates back to the Big Bang which occurred 13.8 billion years ago. The Earth swallowed up some of this as an infant planet, but mostly burped it all away during its 4.6 billion-year-long formation, as Science Alert reports. This means that any traces of helium found in volcanic rock – such as the samples unearthed in the Arctic – are believed to come either from pockets of mantle that are yet to release their helium, or from a vast, slow-leaking reserve. Basaltic lavas on Canada's Baffin Island contain some of the world's highest ratios of 3He to 4He, which geologists believe indicates that the gas's presence is not to do with the atmosphere, but rather the sign of deeper terrestrial origins. Several years ago, geochemist Forrest Horton uncovered helium isotope ratios of up to 50 times that of atmospheric levels in samples collected from Baffin's lava fields. This unusual concentration was also detected in lavas collected from Iceland. Horton and his team wondered if the helium in both samples may have derived from an ancient reservoir deep within the crust. And, it seems, their hunch may have been right. Their latest analysis – including specimens of the mineral olivine taken from dozens of sites across Baffin and surrounding islands – has delivered the highest ratio of 3He to 4He ever recorded in volcanic rock – measuring nearly 70 times anything previously detected in the atmosphere, as Science Alert notes. The team also considered ratios of other isotopes in order to rule out factors that may have altered the helium’s composition post-volcanic eruption, and found that the ratio of isotopes in the gas neon also matched the conditions present during the Earth’s formation. Despite advances in geology, the Earth’s core remains a great mystery, given that we have no way of directly exploring its core. The deepest hole humans have ever dug – branded the "entrance to hell" – extended an impressive 12,263m (40,230ft) down, but even that doesn’t come close to breaking through the crust to the layers beneath. Still, thanks to techniques like seismic tomography – which analyses how waves of energy travel through different materials during earthquakes – we’ve been able to map out the world’s interior. And carefully crafted simulations, based on the thermodynamics and pressures of our planet’s innards, suggest reserves of noble gases (like helium and neon) trapped in the core could have been protected as the Earth grew before seeping into the surrounding mantle over time. If the core is leaking, this could teach us a thing or two about how planets like ours form and how life, eventually, emerges. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings

Anyone who grew up in the '90s remembers flying with Quailman, wooing Patti Mayonnaise, and hiding from bully Roger Klotz.

The Biden administration is designating 31 so-called tech hubs that reach 32 states and Puerto Rico

By David Shepardson WASHINGTON The U.S. Commerce Department said on Monday it was naming 31 regional tech hubs

Kenny Ortega found it "disappointing" that he wasn't asked to direct 'Hocus Pocus 2' and is still yet to watch the sequel to his 1993 Disney movie.

Matthew Vaughn has urged movie studios to prioritise quality over quantity in the superhero genre to prevent audience "fatigue".

SpaceX has signed a deal to launch up to four of Europe's flagship navigation and secure communications satellites

China is planning to boost its strategic stockpiles of cobalt, according to people familiar with the matter, just

By Casey Hall and Laurie Chen SHANGHAI (This Oct. 21 story has been corrected to fix the reference

NEW DELHI India's fiscal position remains solid with steady revenue growth, and headline inflation is likely to remain

European natural gas prices slumped as traders weighed mild weather forecasts and rising fuel supplies against the possible

Taylor Swift and Brittany Mahomes displayed their very own secret celebration handshake as the Kansas City Chiefs faced the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday (October 22). The Anti-Hero singer was spotted supporting Travis Kelce amid their budding romance from in the Mahomes' suite at Arrowhead Stadium alongside Brittany Mahomes the wife of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes as the pair were photographed cheering the football players on. Both Kelce and Mahomes connected for a touchdown in the second quarter, and that's when Swift and Brittany debuted their celebratory handshake. It began with the pair slapping their hands together (front and back) five times, they then clutched each other's hand before ending the routine with a hip bump. They also displayed an alternative version, where they finished their handshake with a jumping chest bump. The NFL managed to catch the bonding moment and posted a clip to Twitter/X, meanwhile both Swift and Brittany could also be seen dancing together while Brittany held her 11-month-old son Patrick "Bronze" Lavon Mahomes III and later her 2-year-old daughter Sterling Skye during some moments in the match. It's not the first time Swift and Brittany have hung out together after they were photographed having dinner in New York alongside the popstar's friends Blake Lively and Sophie Turner. The following day, the group were seen cheering on the Chiefs as the side played the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Then at the Chiefs vs. Denver Broncos game (October 13), Brittany joined Swift alongside Kelce's parents Donna and Ed to watch the match from the Kelce suite. Elsewhere, Swift and Kelce made surprise cameos on Saturday Night Live''s season premiere last weekend. Sign up to our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.