The Earth's 'Heartbeat'
The whole Earth hums with a very low electromagnetic note, about eight beats a second. Online, it's been called the planet's heartbeat, and blamed for everything from tiredness to spiritual awakenings.
What was reported
In 1952, the German physicist Winfried Otto Schumann, working in Munich, predicted that the space between the Earth's surface and the ionosphere would act like a giant echo chamber for very low-frequency radio waves. These 'Schumann resonances', at about 7.8 hertz and higher, were later measured.
In recent years, claims have spread online that the resonance is 'the Earth's heartbeat', that it's speeding up, and that its changes cause headaches, tiredness, or shifts in human consciousness.
Explanations offered
The resonances are real and are mainly powered by lightning strikes, thousands of which happen around the world every minute. Scientists use them to study global storms and the atmosphere. There's no good evidence that they're rising or that they affect human health or minds.
- When
- Predicted in 1952
- Where
- Munich, Bavaria, Germany
- Witnesses
- Physicists, and many people online
- Status
- Partly misunderstood
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