The Accidental Wall

Here's something interesting I read the other day: Humans Accidentally Created a Protective Bubble Around Earth. Here's a summary paragraph from the article:

"A pair of NASA space probes have detected an artificial bubble around Earth that forms when radio communications from the ground interact with high-energy radiation particles in space, the agency announced* this week. The bubble forms a protective barrier around Earth, shielding the planet from potentially dangerous space weather, like solar flares and other ejections from the sun."

Yes, Dear Readers, we have built a defensive wall of sorts - one that actually protects us from a real threat - without even realizing it.

The article points out that Earth already has its own protective wall ... bubble, actually ... the magnetosphere. The enhanced, artificial bubble found by NASA's satellites is an unintended result of the interplay between human technology and the magnetosphere that nature helpfully provided.

Wouldn't it be nice if all of our human impacts on nature could work out this well? If they did, then the Trump administration's war on the EPA and on science in general might make sense.

Have a good day. More thoughts tomorrow.

Bilbo

* You can read the actual NASA press release here.