Scientists have discovered that there is a solid metal ball at the center of the earth.
This announcement comes after years of debate in the scientific community about the existence of a solid metallic inner core of the Earth.
Seismologists from the Australian National University now believe this new core formed after "a major global event in the past".
Surprisingly, this led to the discovery of details about the nucleus that we had previously overlooked, as we were able to study the nucleus in a new way.
Not only were they able to confirm the existence of a massive metallic core, also known as the "inner core" or IMIC, but they also made another amazing discovery.
They estimate that the inner metallic core is about 800 miles in diameter, or nearly one percent of Earth's size, much larger than other scientists had previously predicted.
Although this solid metallic inner core is made of the same material as the molten core, it may have different properties, the scientists explained.
"We think the way the atoms are packed is a little different in the two regions," he said.
As if that weren't enough, researchers believe that this solid core of metal may hold the key to understanding how life evolved on Earth. They said the inner metal core could be a "fossil record" of a major tectonic event, the core solidifying over time. In a discussion, the researchers write: "The study of the Earth's core is not only a topic of scientific interest, but also a topic that sheds light on the evolution of life on the surface of our planet." This is not the only major scientific announcement in recent weeks. Another group of seismologists found that the Earth's core may have stopped rotating for a while and changed direction. This was discovered after observing "contrasts" between the core and mantle in the early 1970s. Scientists now suggest that this transition happens every 70 years, during a so-called "tug of war" in the Earth's core.
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