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cover of episode The Times They Are a-Changin'

The Times They Are a-Changin'

2024/9/13
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Chris Impey
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Emily Graslie
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Neil Shubin
Topics
Neil Shubin: 珊瑚的骨骼记录了每日和每年的生长周期，通过分析古代珊瑚化石的生长条纹，可以推断出古代年份的天数比现在多。这表明地球自转速度在逐渐减慢。 Emily Graslie: 珊瑚骨骼上的条纹代表每日的生长，而较粗的条纹则代表一年。通过计数条纹数量，可以确定一年中的天数。 Jad Abumrad和Robert Krulwich: 古代年份的天数比现在多，这与地球自转速度减慢有关。 Chris Impey: 地球绕太阳公转的时间没有变化，但地球自转速度在减慢。这是由于月球的引力作用，地球和月球之间存在能量转移，导致地球自转速度逐渐减慢，日长变长，年天数减少。 Neil deGrasse Tyson: 在赤道上，通过改变行走速度，可以改变一天的长度。在金星上，由于其自转速度非常慢，跑步的速度可以影响太阳在天空中的位置。 Robert Krulwich: 地球上的许多事物，包括年份的天数，都在不断变化。我们应该认识到时间的相对性和变化性。

Deep Dive

Chapters
Paleontologist Neil Shubin explains how corals, through their growth rings, reveal that years were once longer, containing over 400 days. These ancient coral calendars offer a glimpse into a time when Earth's rotation was faster, resulting in shorter days and longer years, as confirmed by studies on various fossilized shellfish.
  • Ancient corals have growth rings similar to trees, marking daily and yearly cycles.
  • Fossil corals reveal years used to have 400+ days.
  • The number of days in a year has decreased over millions of years.

Shownotes Transcript

This episode first aired back in December of 2013, and at the start of that new year, the team was cracking open fossils, peering back into ancient seas, and looking up at lunar skies only to find that a year is not quite as fixed as we thought it was.

With the help of paleontologist Neil Shubin, reporter Emily Graslie and the Field Museum's Paul Mayer we discover that our world is full of ancient coral calendars. Each one of these sea skeletons reveals that once upon a very-long-time-ago, years were shorter by over forty days. And astrophysicist Chis Impey helps us comprehend how the change is all to be blamed on a celestial slow dance with the moon. 

Plus, Robert indulges his curiosity about stopping time and counteracting the spinning of the spheres by taking astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson on a (theoretical) trip to Venus with a rooster and sprinter Usain Bolt.

We have some exciting news! In the “Zoozve)” episode, Radiolab named its first-ever quasi-moon, and now it's your turn! Radiolab has teamed up with The International Astronomical Union to launch a global naming contest for one of Earth’s quasi-moons. This is your chance to make your mark on the heavens. Submit your name ideas now through September, or vote on your favorites starting in November: https://radiolab.org/moon)

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Leadership support for Radiolab’s science programming is provided by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Science Sandbox, a Simons Foundation Initiative, and the John Templeton Foundation. Foundational support for Radiolab was provided by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.