We live on the surface of a dense, rocky ball, but science has allowed us to peer deep within its core
When the pioneering science fiction writer Jules Verne wrote Journey To The Centre Of The Earth in 1864, he probably knew that his plot was pure fantasy. Verne’s characters Otto, Axel and their guide Hans, only made it a few miles down, but the idea that anyone could even contemplate travelling to the Earth’s core had been dismissed before Victorian times.
Even today, the furthest we’ve ever drilled into the Earth is around 12km, while the distance to the centre is over 500 times further, at 6,370km. So how do we know what lies beneath? Figuring out what’s at the heart of our planet has been a magnificent scientific puzzle.
Living on a ball
The idea of the Earth having a meaningful centre goes hand-in-hand with the planet being shaped like a ball, and we’ve known that we don’t live on a disc for a long time. It’s a myth that medieval folk thought the Earth was flat – this actually came from a mix of Victorian anti-religious propaganda, and a misinterpretation of the stylised maps of the period. It was over 2,200 years ago that the Greek polymath Eratosthenes made the first measurement of the distance around the Earth’s sphere, and it’s been clear ever since that it must have a centre.
This story is from the February 2017 edition of BBC Focus - Science & Technology.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber ? Sign In
This story is from the February 2017 edition of BBC Focus - Science & Technology.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
5 SIMPLE WAYS TO RECLAIM YOUR ATTENTION
Primed for constant interruptions, your brain is now distracting itself, says science. It's time to break the cycle and retrain your focus
GOING ROGUE
Some planets are stuck following the same orbital paths their entire lives. Others break free to wander alone through the vast, empty darkness of interstellar space and there's a lot more of them than you might think
BED BUGS VS THE WORLD
When bloodthirsty bed bugs made headlines for infesting Paris Fashion Week in 2023, it shone a spotlight on a problem that's been making experts itch for decades: the arms race going on between bed bugs and humans. Now, with the 2024 Summer Olympics fast approaching, the stakes are higher than ever
THE EYES THAT WATCH THE SKY
When it launches in 2026, the Copernicus programme's Anthropogenic Carbon Dioxide Monitoring satellite will give us a new window on to Earth's atmosphere... And how we're altering it
TIME-RESTRICTED EATING LINKED TO HIGHER RISK OF CARDIOVASCULAR DEATH
Skipping breakfast might not be so good for your health, after all
INSIDE THE PROJECT TO SCAN THOUSANDS OF RARE SPECIMENS
A major collaborative project has created 3D reconstructions of previously locked away museum specimens
VIDEO IS FIRST EVIDENCE OF AN ORCA KILLING A GREAT WHITE
Tourists sailing off the South African coast film a never-before-seen event: a lone orca attacking a 2.5m shark
AI REVEALS PROSTATE CANCER IS NOT JUST ONE DISEASE
DNA analysis carried out by artificial intelligence has helped scientists make a discovery that could revolutionise future treatment
MYSTERIOUS WAVES DETECTED IN JUPITER'S CORE
Scientists hope unusual fluctuations in the gas giant's magnetic field might reveal what's inside
MINI ORGANS GROWN FROM UNBORN BABIES MARK A BREAKTHROUGH IN PRENATAL MEDICINE
A new technique could allow congenital conditions to be diagnosed and treated before birth