European boffins on voyage of discovery to the Earth's core

Top European scientists say they are ready to commence an exciting voyage of discovery - to plumb the very depths of the Earth's core, and find out the mechanism by which the planet's magnetic poles disappear or reverse themselves. A titanically powerful machine employing nuclear atom-smasher technology, diamond "anvils" and …

[metaspective]

Not!

This is a misleading headline - go to the bottom of the class/Earth's core.

[Anonymous Coward]

Understatement of the year

'We know even less about warm dense matter believed to exist in the core of larger planets'

That's a bit like calling the Blessed Paris merely 'warm and dense'.

[Scorchio!!]

Re: Understatement of the year

Well, like Dame Edna Everage she's moist too. ;-)

[Gusty O'Windflap]

but how can they?

without Doug McClure?

[BristolBachelor]

"The Earth's interior is literally inaccessible and today it is easier to reach Mars than to visit even the base of the Earth's thin crust ... "

That's only easy for you to say because you don't know what it takes to reach Mars (let alond land on it and survive!)

[Trygve]

Really?

First successful probe to land on Mars - Viking 1 in 1976. Several more since.

First successful probe to reach the base of earths crust - several years/decades in the future. Best progress so far, about 1/3 of the way.

[Tchou]

Are you allright?

[TeeCee]

I have an idea.

"it is easier to reach Mars than to visit even the base of the Earth's thin crust....."

If you drill a really deep, wide hole in Russia, base of Earth's crust visit you!

(Actually I think this works anywhere, but the gag only works in Russia....)

[Stanislaw]

Careful with that laser, Eugene...

... we don't want to set off a resonance cascade.

[Daniel Evans]

I did snigger somewhat

"It is easier to reach Mars than to visit even the base of the Earth's thin crust"

Try telling the Russians that...

[Ugotta B. Kiddingme]

sigh...

[insert standard "haven't they seen such and such disaster movie?!?" here]

The (unintentionally) funniest one was about a nuclear missile fired into a hole into the ground which caused a crack. Said crack raced around the world and would theoretically cause the earth to split apart, let all the hot and squishy bits in the center leak out, and result in our abrupt and violent demise.

Crack In The World

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0059065

[laird cummings]

No "Earth-shattering Kaboom," then?

How dissapointing. And here I was, thinking we could finally get that good view of Venus.

[The Stainless Steel Cat]

Ob. Dr Who reference...

...and I turned round and they were *all* wearing eyepatches!