Wobbly Earth causes climate change, extinctions: researchers

Small variations in the Earth’s orbit dictate how much sunlight certain areas of the Earth get.

Wobbly Earth causes climate change, extinctions: researchers

Updated Fri. Oct. 13 2006 12:14 PM ET

Brian Jackson , DiscoveryChannel.ca

Earth’s orbit isn’t perfect. In fact, it’s as wobbly as a beach ball floating in a swimming pool, says the latest research. Now scientists are blaming the imperfect orbit for the extinction of ancient Spanish rodents.

There are a number of ways the Earth’s orbit can vary. Its shape around the sun can be more or less circular, or the tilt of the poles in relation to the Sun can change, for example. These small variations can last for tens of thousands to millions of years.

Variations like this transform the Earth’s climate by altering the sunlight available in different parts of the planet. Scientists have supposed this could lead to an impact on life, but couldn’t prove it until now.

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Could it be? An explanation for climate change that doesn’t include blaming my Ford F250? No way! I bet no one ever sees this study again. You know. No money in a problem you can’t fix.

Wisdom