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Why the Moon's New Birthday Means the Earth Is Older Than We Thought

Posted by timothy on from the just-measure-the-depth-of-the-mold dept.

Daniel_Stuckey (2647775) writes You're likely familiar with the theory of how the Moon formed: a stray body smashed into our young Earth, heating the planet and flinging debris into its orbit. That debris coalesced and formed the Moon. The impact theory still holds, but a team of geochemists from the University of Lorraine in Nancy, France has refined the date, finding that the Moon is about 60 million years older than we thought. As it turns out, that also means the Earth is 60 million years older than previously thought, which is a particularly cool finding considering just how hard it is to estimate the age of our planet.

12 of 98 comments (clear)

  1. Origin story sounds familiar by antifoidulus · · Score: 5, Funny

    You're likely familiar with the theory of how the Moon formed: a stray body smashed into our young Earth, heating the planet and flinging debris into its orbit.

    Isn't that how human babies are made too?

    --
    Monstar L
    1. Re:Origin story sounds familiar by Artifakt · · Score: 5, Funny

      Why am I not surprised that the first post to this thread is from someone who doesn't know where babies come from?

      --
      Who is John Cabal?
    2. Re:Origin story sounds familiar by Neil+Boekend · · Score: 4, Funny

      It has ceased to be customary to hit your date with a rock before mating. These days that is frowned upon.

      --
      Well, I might have a way, but it only works on a semi spherical planet in a vacuum.
    3. Re:Origin story sounds familiar by FatdogHaiku · · Score: 3, Funny

      Why am I not surprised that the first post to this thread is from someone who doesn't know where babies come from?

      Exactly, everyone knows they come from storks.

      I was trying to explain that to a park employee the other day...
      he still made me let the stork go and pull my pants up...

      --
      You have the right to remain sentient. If you give up the right to remain sentient, you will be elected to public office
  2. Earth is 6000 years old by h5inz · · Score: 1, Funny

    Every1 knoes that the earth is 6000 years old! U MAD BRO?! Butthurt!

    1. Re:Earth is 6000 years old by louic · · Score: 2, Funny

      Yes of course. But these new findings show that it is 60 million years older than previously thought so it must be 60 million plus 6000 years.

    2. Re:Earth is 6000 years old by 91degrees · · Score: 3, Funny

      I have no rational response to that, so if you don't mind, I'd like to burn you as a heretic. Hold still please while I build a fire.

    3. Re:Earth is 6000 years old by rubycodez · · Score: 3, Funny

      protip: he'll light up easier after closing time Saturday night

  3. Re:Age of the earth by Travis+Mansbridge · · Score: 2, Funny

    Duh, it's 6,000 years old.

  4. So how old then? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

    "which is a particularly cool finding considering just how hard it is to estimate the age of our planet."

    How would adding 60 million years to our current hard-to-estimate-estimate make that estimate any more accurate?

    Creationist: "It's 6000 years old!"

    Scientist: "It's 60 million years older!"

    Creationist: "Ok then, it's 60006000 years old!"

  5. Breaking news! by BlackPignouf · · Score: 5, Funny

    Breaking news!
    Earth appears to be one year older (see 2014 paper) than previously thought (see 2013 paper).

  6. Difficult to estimate the age by hduff · · Score: 3, Funny

    Given all the extensive cosmic surgery.

    --
    "I believe in Karma. That means I can do bad things to people all day long and I assume they deserve it." : Dogbert