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FRI, 25 SEPT · 76 ITEMS
Gizmodo, Nature · Science & Medicine
Scientists have found that changes deep inside Earth's , likely due to gravitational interactions with the , are subtly altering the length of a day over long time scales. The effect is minuscule (milliseconds per century) but measurable, driven by processes like the inner core's rotation rate or shape deforming slightly under , not by climate or external factors.
The claim is solid for a secondary report. Gizmodo is covering a new study, likely published in Nature (linked in the grounding), that pinpoints gravitational torque between the inner core and mantle as the dominant cause of these long-term day-length variations. The story sits one step from the primary source — the Nature article — so the specifics (mechanism, magnitude) depend on how faithfully the journalist translated the paper's findings.
Genuinely new: the reporting is from September 23, 2026, covering a study published around the same date.
We have previously covered research on Earth's inner core rotation, including a 2024 story about the inner core slowing down and a 2025 item on its potential non-solid structure — both mechanisms that can influence day length. This 2026 story focuses specifically on gravitational torque as the primary driver, adding a new causal explanation.