Podcasts Science Decipher SciFi The Core: Flying bricks, pacemakers, and quantum avian eyeballs

The Core: Flying bricks, pacemakers, and quantum avian eyeballs

Published: Oct. 6, 2020, 6:52 a.m.

Forgetability \n\n

The valley of forgetability (The Core) between science-respecting sci-fi (e.g. Arrival) and totally bonkers nonsense (e.g. Jupiter Ascending).

\n\n Space shuttle \n\n

Landing the \u201cflying brick.\u201d

\n\n Bird navigation \n\n

Magnetite beaks. The possibility of quantum eyeball magnetic navigation HUDs. Corvid appreciation. Why birds don\u2019t all fly into our windows and our eyeballs.

\n\n Pacemakers \n\n

Keeping your heart on-rhythm. Not as immediate a death sentence as portrayed.

\n\n Earth\u2019s outer core \n\n

The absurd energies in the spinning of Earth\u2019s core - a ball of iron the size of Mars, spinning a thousand miles an hour

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That\u2019s a whole lot of energy. If it doesn\u2019t sound like much, let\u2019s convert it to megatons: it\u2019s the equivalent energy of five trillion one megaton bombs going off. \nPhil Plait on the spinning outer core

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  1. \n\t\t\t\tPhil Plait's Bad Astronomy Review of The Core: BadAstronomy.com\n\t\t\t
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