Incredible scientific advances keep me hopeful that perhaps the world will be a better place for future generations--if knowledge is applied appropriately. I am far from alone in my thoughts. A majority of 73 percent of Americans surveyed by the Pew Research Center said that science has a mainly positive effect on society. An even higher percentage said scientific advances would improve things more in the next two decades. 

Curiosity is a main component of scientific exploration. If Christopher Columbus had not made four dangerous trips across the Atlantic Ocean, European exploration and colonization of the Americas would not have occurred. Columbus, an Italian navigator, and explorer, was also self-taught in astronomy and geography. Between 1492 and 1504, the voyages of Columbus and his crew led to the so-called Age of Discovery, a time when the "New World" was developing. Even though these events are many centuries past, their impact on today remains strong. Scientists still explore here on Earth and way beyond. 

Last week an astounding discovery was made about our planet. Scientists learned that the Earth has a new core. Research of two Australian National University seismologists named Thanh-Son Phạm & Hrvoje Tkalčić was detailed in The Washington Post. The discovery throws a wrench into the traditional theory that the Earth is made up of four components-- a solid inner core, liquid outer core, crust, and mantle.

 

The seismologists reported they uncovered evidence of a 400-mile-thick solid metallic ball in the middle of Earth's inner core. The ball is made of iron-nickel alloy, just like the rest of the core. Reporter Kasha Patel likened it to a "figurine of a massive, planetary Russian nesting doll set."

But the unique discovery is that the new solid layer has a different crystal structure that causes shockwaves from earthquakes to travel through the layers at different speeds. That is why the lead author of the study Thanh-Son Phạm said that the innermost core's atoms are not packed in the same way. 

Scientists study the inner core to understand the Earth's magnetic field-- which makes life possible here and keeps us safe from radiation emitted from outer space.

Danish seismologist Inge Lehmann discovered the Earth's inner core in 1936. It is about 4,000 miles below the outer crust and comprises just one percent of our planet's volume. The authors of the most recent study explained in their work how the inner core expands outward by solidifying materials from the liquid outer core. The process releases heat that creates convection currents that become the Earth's magnetic field. 

Geophysicist John Tarduno, who was not part of the study, says that the latest research supports earlier theories that the Earth had another inner core that was structurally different.

The discovery is on the heels of recent evidence to support the existence of an ancient lake on Mars--another fascinating unearthing for an enthusiastic scientific community.