Spore (2008 video game): Difference between revisions
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{{Short description|Third planet from the Sun}} |
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{{Redirect|Planet Earth|other uses|Earth (disambiguation)|and|Planet Earth (disambiguation)}} |
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{{Infobox video game |
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{{pp-semi-indef}} |
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| title = Spore |
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{{pp-move}} |
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| image = Sporebox.jpg |
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{{Featured article}} |
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| developer = [[Maxis]] |
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{{Use American English|date=August 2024}} |
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| publisher = [[Electronic Arts]] |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2024}} |
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| designer = [[Will Wright (game designer)|Will Wright]]<br>[[Alex Hutchinson (video game director)|Alex Hutchinson]]<br>Jenna Chalmers<br>[[Chaim Gingold]] |
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{{Infobox planet |
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| programmer = Andrew Willmott |
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<!--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
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| artist = Michael A. Khoury |
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This infobox has been formatted in the same way as those for other planets and bodies in the Solar System, so please do not change it without discussion on the talk page. Scroll down to get beyond this long template and edit the main body text. |
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| composer = [[Brian Eno]]<br />[[Cliff Martinez]] <!-- Brian Eno and Cliff Martinez are the main composers --> |
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---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------->| background = LightSteelBlue |
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| series = |
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| name = Earth |
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| alt_names = The world, the [[globe]], [[wikt:Sol III|Sol III]], [[Terra (mythology)|Terra, Tellus]], [[Gaia]], Mother Earth |
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| platforms = [[Microsoft Windows]]<br />[[Mac OS X]] |
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| adjectives = Earthly, terrestrial, terran, tellurian |
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| released = {{Video game release|AU|September 4, 2008|EU|September 5, 2008|NA|September 7, 2008<ref name="spore-release">{{cite web|url=https://www.eurogamer.net/spore-release-date-announced|title=Spore Release Date Announced|date=February 12, 2008|website=[[Eurogamer]]|access-date=May 8, 2022|archive-date=May 8, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220508132542/https://www.eurogamer.net/spore-release-date-announced|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="spore-release2">{{cite web|url=https://www.gamespot.com/articles/au-shippin-out-september-1-5-spore/1100-6197070/|title=AU Shippin' Out September 1–5: Spore|date=September 2, 2008|website=[[GameSpot]]|access-date=May 8, 2022|archive-date=May 8, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220508132542/https://www.gamespot.com/articles/au-shippin-out-september-1-5-spore/1100-6197070/|url-status=live}}</ref>}} |
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| symbol = 🜨 and ♁ |
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| genre = {{nowraplinks|[[God game]], [[Life simulation game|life simulation]], [[real-time strategy]]}} |
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| image = The Earth seen from Apollo 17.jpg |
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| modes = [[Single-player video game|Single-player]] |
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| image_alt = Photograph of Earth taken by the Apollo 17 mission. The Arabian peninsula, Africa and Madagascar lie in the upper half of the disc, whereas Antarctica is at the bottom. |
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| caption = ''[[The Blue Marble]]'', [[Apollo 17]], December 1972 |
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| epoch = [[J2000.0|J2000]]<ref group="n" name="epoch" /> |
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| aphelion = {{val|152,097,597|u=km}} |
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| perihelion = {{val|147,098,450|u=km}}<ref group="n" name="apsis" /> |
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| time_periastron = 2023-Jan-04<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons_batch.cgi?batch=1&COMMAND=%27399%27&START_TIME=%272023-01-01%27&STOP_TIME=%272023-01-10%27&STEP_SIZE=%271%20hour%27&QUANTITIES=%2720%27&CENTER=%27@Sun%27|title=Horizons Batch Call for 2023 Perihelion|last1=Park|first1=Ryan|date=9 May 2022|publisher=[[NASA]]/[[JPL]]|access-date=3 July 2022|archive-date=3 July 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220703175825/https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/horizons_batch.cgi?batch=1&COMMAND=%27399%27&START_TIME=%272023-01-01%27&STOP_TIME=%272023-01-10%27&STEP_SIZE=%271%20hour%27&QUANTITIES=%2720%27&CENTER=%27%40Sun%27|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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| semimajor = {{val|149,598,023|u=km}}<ref name="VSOP87" /> |
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| eccentricity = {{val|0.0167086}}<ref name="VSOP87" /> |
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| period = {{convert|365.256363004|d|yr|comma=gaps|abbr=on|lk=out|disp=x|<ref name="IERS" /><br />(|[[julian year (astronomy)|<sub>j</sub>]])}} |
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| avg_speed = {{val|29.7827|u=km/s}}<ref name="earth_fact_sheet" /> |
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| mean_anomaly = {{val|358.617|u=°}} |
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| inclination = {{ublist |{{val|7.155|u=°}} – [[Sun]]'s equator; |{{val|1.57869|u=°}} – [[invariable plane]];<ref name="Allen294" /> |{{val|0.00005|u=°}} – J2000 [[ecliptic]]}} |
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| asc_node = {{val|-11.26064|u=°}} – J2000 ecliptic<ref name="earth_fact_sheet" /> |
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| arg_peri = {{val|114.20783|u=°}}<ref name="earth_fact_sheet" /> |
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| satellites = 1, the [[Moon]] |
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| allsatellites = yes |
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| mean_radius = {{val|6371.0|u=km}}<ref name="hbcp2000" /> |
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| equatorial_radius = {{val|6378.137|u=km}}<ref name=usno /><ref name="WGS-84" /> |
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| polar_radius = {{val|6356.752|u=km}}<ref name="cazenave_ahrens1995" /> |
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| flattening = 1/{{val|298.257222101}} ([[ETRS89]])<ref name="IERS2004" /> |
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| circumference = {{unbulleted list |
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| {{val|40075.017|u=km}} [[equator]]ial<ref name="WGS-84">[[World Geodetic System]] (''WGS-84''). [http://earth-info.nga.mil/GandG/wgs84/ Available online] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200311023739/https://earth-info.nga.mil/GandG/wgs84/ |date=11 March 2020}} from [[National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency]].</ref> |
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| {{val|40007.86|u=km}} [[Meridian (geography)|meridional]]<ref name="WGS-84-2" /><ref group="n" name="circ">Earth's [[circumference]] is almost exactly 40,000 km because the meter was calibrated on this measurement—more specifically, 1/10-millionth of the distance between the poles and the equator.</ref> |
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}} |
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| surface_area = {{unbulleted list |
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|{{val|510,072,000|u=km2}}<ref name="Pidwirny 2006_8" /><ref group="n" name="surfacecover" /> |
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|Land: {{val|148,940,000|u=km2}} |
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|Water: {{val|361,132,000|u=km2}} |
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}} |
}} |
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| volume = {{val|1.08321|e=12|u=km3}}<ref name="earth_fact_sheet" /> |
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| mass = {{val|5.972168|e=24|u=kg}}<ref name="earthmass" /> |
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| density = {{convert|5513|kg/m3|g/cm3|comma=gaps|abbr=on|disp=out}}<ref name="earth_fact_sheet" /> <!--- Planetary densities are conventionally given in g/cm3 instead of kg/m3 ---> |
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| surface_grav = {{val|9.80665|u=m/s2|}}<ref name="NIST2008" /><br />(exactly 1 [[Standard gravity|g<sub>0</sub>]]) |
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| moment_of_inertia_factor = 0.3307<ref name="Williams1994" /> |
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| escape_velocity = {{val|11.186|u=km/s}}<ref name="earth_fact_sheet" /> |
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| rotation = {{longitem|{{val|1.0|u=d}} <br /> (24h 00 m 00s)}} |
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| sidereal_day = {{longitem|{{val|0.99726968|u=d}}<ref name="Allen296" /> <br /> (23h 56 m 4.100s)}} |
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| rot_velocity = {{cvt|1674.4|km/h|km/s|disp=out}}<ref name="Cox2000" /> |
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| axial_tilt = {{val|23.4392811|u=°}}<ref name="IERS" /> |
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| albedo = {{ublist|class=nowrap |0.367 [[Geometric albedo|geometric]]<ref name="earth_fact_sheet" /> |0.306 [[Bond albedo|Bond]]<ref name="earth_fact_sheet" />}} |
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| single_temperature = {{cvt|255|K|C|0}}<br />([[Effective temperature|blackbody temperature]])<ref name="American Chemical Society 2013">{{cite web | title=Atmospheres and Planetary Temperatures | website=American Chemical Society | date=18 July 2013 | url=https://www.acs.org/climatescience/energybalance/planetarytemperatures.html | access-date=3 January 2023| archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20230127144936/https://www.acs.org/climatescience/energybalance/planetarytemperatures.html |archivedate=27 January 2023}}</ref> |
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| atmosphere = yes |
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| temp_name1 = {{refn|group=n|Source for minimum,<ref name=asu_lowest_temp /> mean,<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Jones |first1=P. D. |author-link1=Phil Jones (climatologist)|last2=Harpham |first2=C. |title=Estimation of the absolute surface air temperature of the Earth |journal=Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres |date=2013 |volume=118 |issue=8 |pages=3213–3217 |doi=10.1002/jgrd.50359 |bibcode=2013JGRD..118.3213J |language=en |issn=2169-8996 |doi-access=free}}</ref> and maximum<ref name=asu_highest_temp /> surface temperature<!--Moved here to avoid stretching the infobox border-->}} |
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| min_temp_1 = −89.2 °C |
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| mean_temp_1 = 14.76 °C |
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| max_temp_1 = 56.7 °C |
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| surface_equivalent_dose_rate = {{convert|2.40 |mSv/yr |μSv/h |disp=out}}<ref>{{cite book |author=United Nations Scientific Committee on the Effects of Atomic Radiation |title=Sources and effects of ionizing radiation |date=2008 |publication-date=2010 |publisher=United Nations |location=New York |isbn=978-92-1-142274-0 |url=http://www.unscear.org/unscear/en/publications/2008_1.html |access-date=9 November 2012 |at=Table 1 |archive-date=16 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190716210835/http://www.unscear.org/unscear/en/publications/2008_1.html |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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| abs_magnitude = −3.99 |
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| surface_pressure = {{val|101.325|ul=kPa}} (at sea level) |
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| atmosphere_composition = {{unbulleted list |
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| 78.08% [[nitrogen]] (dry air) |
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| 20.95% [[oxygen]] (dry air) |
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| ≤1% [[water vapor]] (variable) |
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| 0.9340% [[argon]] |
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| 0.0415% [[carbon dioxide]] |
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| 0.00182% [[neon]] |
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| 0.00052% [[helium]] |
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| 0.00017% [[methane]] |
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| 0.00011% [[krypton]] |
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| 0.00006% [[hydrogen]] |
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}} |
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Source:<ref name="earth_fact_sheet" /> |
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| note = no |
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}} |
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'''Earth''' is the third [[planet]] from the [[Sun]] and the only [[astronomical object]] known to [[Planetary habitability|harbor life]]. This is enabled by Earth being an [[ocean world]], the only one in the [[Solar System]] sustaining liquid [[surface water]]. Almost all of Earth's water is contained in its global ocean, covering [[Water distribution on Earth|70.8%]] of [[Earth's crust]]. The remaining 29.2% of Earth's crust is land, most of which is located in the form of [[continent]]al [[landmass]]es within Earth's [[land hemisphere]]. Most of Earth's land is at least somewhat [[humid]] and covered by [[vegetation]], while large [[Ice sheet|sheets of ice]] at [[Earth's polar regions|Earth's polar]] [[polar desert|desert]]s retain more water than Earth's [[groundwater]], lakes, rivers and [[Water vapor#In Earth's atmosphere|atmospheric water]] combined. Earth's crust consists of slowly moving [[tectonic plates]], which interact to produce mountain ranges, [[volcano]]es, and earthquakes. [[Earth's outer core|Earth has a liquid outer core]] that generates a [[magnetosphere]] capable of deflecting most of the destructive [[solar wind]]s and [[cosmic radiation]]. |
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Earth has [[Atmosphere of Earth|a dynamic atmosphere]], which sustains Earth's surface conditions and protects it from most [[meteoroid]]s and [[Ozone layer|UV-light at entry]]. It has a composition of primarily [[nitrogen]] and [[oxygen]]. [[Water vapor]] is widely present in the atmosphere, [[Cloud#Formation|forming clouds]] that cover most of the planet. The water vapor acts as a [[greenhouse gas]] and, together with other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, particularly [[carbon dioxide]] (CO<sub>2</sub>), creates the conditions for both liquid surface water and water vapor to persist via the capturing of [[Solar irradiance|energy from the Sun's light]]. This process maintains the current average surface temperature of {{convert|14.76|C|F}}, at which water is liquid under normal atmospheric pressure. Differences in the amount of captured energy between geographic regions (as with the [[equatorial region]] receiving more sunlight than the polar regions) drive [[Atmospheric circulation|atmospheric]] and [[ocean current]]s, producing a global [[climate system]] with different [[climate region]]s, and a range of weather phenomena such as [[precipitation]], allowing components such as [[Nitrogen cycle|nitrogen]] to [[Biogeochemical cycle|cycle]]. |
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'''''Spore''''' is a 2008 [[Life simulation game|life simulation]] [[real-time strategy]] [[god game]] developed by [[Maxis]] and published by [[Electronic Arts]] for [[Microsoft Windows]] and [[Mac OS X]]. Designed by [[Will Wright (game designer)|Will Wright]], it covers many genres including [[action game|action]], [[real-time strategy]], and [[role-playing video game|role-playing games]]. ''Spore'' allows a player to control the development of a [[species]] from its beginnings as a microscopic organism, through development as an intelligent and [[social animal|social]] creature, to [[interstellar spaceflight|interstellar]] exploration as a [[spaceflight|spacefaring]] culture. It has drawn wide attention for its massive scope, and its use of [[Open world|open-ended gameplay]] and [[procedural generation]]. Throughout each stage, players are able to use various creators to produce content for their games. These are then automatically uploaded to the online Sporepedia and are accessible by other players for download. |
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Earth is [[Hydrostatic equilibrium|rounded]] into [[Earth ellipsoid|an ellipsoid]] with [[Earth's circumference|a circumference]] of about 40,000 km. It is the [[List of Solar System objects by size|densest planet in the Solar System]]. Of the four [[rocky planets]], it is the largest and most massive. Earth is about eight [[light-minute]]s away from the Sun and [[Earth's orbit|orbits it]], taking a year (about 365.25 days) to complete one revolution. [[Earth's rotation|Earth rotates]] around its own axis in slightly less than a day (in about 23 hours and 56 minutes). [[Earth#Axial tilt and seasons|Earth's axis of rotation]] is tilted with respect to the perpendicular to its orbital plane around the Sun, producing [[season]]s. Earth is [[orbit]]ed by one [[Claimed moons of Earth|permanent]] [[natural satellite]], the [[Moon]], which [[orbit]]s Earth at 384,400 km (1.28 light seconds) and is roughly a quarter as wide as Earth. The Moon's gravity helps stabilize Earth's axis, causes [[tide]]s and [[Tidal acceleration|gradually slows Earth's rotation]]. [[Tidal locking]] has made the Moon always face Earth with the same side. |
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''Spore'' was released after several delays to generally favorable reviews. Praise was given for the fact that the game allowed players to create customized creatures, vehicles, and buildings. ''Spore'' was criticized for its gameplay which was seen as shallow by many reviewers; ''[[GameSpot]]'' remarked: "Individual gameplay elements are extremely simple." Controversy surrounded ''Spore'' due to the inclusion of [[SecuROM]], and its [[digital rights management]] software, which can potentially open the user's computer to security risks. |
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Earth, like most other bodies in the Solar System, [[Age of Earth|formed 4.5 billion years ago]] from gas and dust in the [[Formation and evolution of the Solar System|early Solar System]]. During the first billion years of [[Earth's history]], the ocean formed and then [[Abiogenesis|life developed]] within it. Life spread globally and has been altering Earth's atmosphere and surface, leading to the [[Great Oxidation Event]] two billion years ago. [[Human]]s emerged [[Human history|300,000 years ago]] in Africa and have spread across every continent on Earth. Humans depend on Earth's [[biosphere]] and natural resources for their survival, but have [[Human impact on the environment|increasingly impacted the planet's environment]]. Humanity's current impact on Earth's climate and biosphere is [[unsustainable]], threatening the livelihood of humans and many other forms of life, and [[Holocene extinction|causing widespread extinctions]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=What Is Climate Change? |url=https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-climate-change |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230126173023/https://www.un.org/en/climatechange/what-is-climate-change |archive-date=26 January 2023 |access-date=17 August 2022 |website=[[United Nations]] |language=en}}</ref> |
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==Gameplay== |
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''Spore'' allows the player to develop a species from a microscopic organism to its evolution into a complex creature, its emergence as a social, intelligent being, to its mastery of the planet, and then finally to its ascension into space, where it interacts with alien species across the galaxy. Throughout the game, the player's perspective and species change dramatically. |
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== Etymology == |
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The game is broken up into distinct "stages". The outcome of one phase affects the initial conditions and leveling facing the player in the next. Each phase exhibits a distinct style of play, and has been described by the developers as ten times more complicated than its preceding phase.<ref name="ted2007">{{cite web |title=2007 TED video of Spore |url=http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/22/todays-most-delayed-and-ambitious-video-ted-spore-demo/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070817073543/http://www.joystiq.com/2007/07/22/todays-most-delayed-and-ambitious-video-ted-spore-demo/ |archive-date=August 17, 2007 |access-date=July 23, 2007 |website=joystiq |df=mdy-all}}</ref><ref name="levelup-pt1">{{cite web |title=Exclusive: Will Wright Gives Level Up the Scoop On Why ''Spore'' Is Taking So Long to Get Right--And Why It Will Be Worth the Wait, Part I |url=http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/levelup/archive/2008/02/12/exclusive-will-wright-on-why-spore-is-taking-so-long-and-much-more-part-i.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080215185912/http://blog.newsweek.com/blogs/levelup/archive/2008/02/12/exclusive-will-wright-on-why-spore-is-taking-so-long-and-much-more-part-i.aspx |archive-date=February 15, 2008 |access-date=February 12, 2008 |website=blog.newsweek.com}}</ref> Phases often feature optional missions; when the player completes a mission, they are granted a bonus, such as a new ability or money. If all of a player's creations are eliminated at some point, the species will [[respawn]] at its nearest colony or the beginning of the phase. |
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The [[Modern English]] word {{anchor|Name|Etymology}} ''Earth'' developed, via [[Middle English]], from an [[Old English]] noun most often spelled ''{{linktext|eorðe}}''.<ref name="oedearth">{{cite book|title=Oxford English Dictionary|edition=3|chapter=earth, ''n.¹''|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|place=[[Oxford]], England|year=2010|isbn=978-0-19-957112-3|doi=10.1093/acref/9780199571123.001.0001}}</ref> It has cognates in every [[Germanic language]], and their [[proto-Germanic|ancestral root]] has been reconstructed as [[wikt:Appendix:Proto-Germanic/erþō|*''erþō'']]. In its earliest attestation, the word ''eorðe'' was used to translate the many senses of [[Latin]] ''{{linktext|terra}}'' and [[Ancient Greek language|Greek]] γῆ ''gē'': the ground, its [[soil]], dry land, the human world, the surface of the world (including the sea), and the globe itself. As with Roman [[Terra (goddess)|Terra]]/Tellūs and Greek [[Gaia]], Earth may have been a [[earth goddess|personified goddess]] in [[Germanic paganism]]: late [[Norse mythology]] included [[Jörð]] ("Earth"), a giantess often given as the mother of [[Thor]].<ref>{{cite book|last=Simek|first=Rudolf|author-link=Rudolf Simek|translator-last=Hall|translator-first=Angela|title=Dictionary of Northern Mythology|page=179|publisher=[[D.S. Brewer]]|year=2007|isbn=978-0-85991-513-7}}</ref> |
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Historically, "Earth" has been written in lowercase. Beginning with the use of [[Early Middle English]], its [[Definite article|definite sense]] as "the globe" was expressed as "the earth". By the era of [[Early Modern English]], [[Capitalization in English#History of English capitalization|capitalization of nouns began to prevail]], and ''the earth'' was also written ''the Earth'', particularly when referenced along with other heavenly bodies. More recently, the name is sometimes simply given as ''Earth'', by analogy with the names of the [[Solar System|other planets]], though "earth" and forms with "the earth" remain common.<ref name="oedearth" /> [[Style guide|House styles]] now vary: [[Oxford spelling]] recognizes the lowercase form as the more common, with the capitalized form an acceptable variant. Another convention capitalizes "Earth" when appearing as a name, such as a description of the "Earth's atmosphere", but employs the lowercase when it is preceded by "the", such as "the atmosphere of the earth". It almost always appears in lowercase in colloquial expressions such as "what on earth are you doing?"<ref>{{cite book|title=The New Oxford Dictionary of English|edition=1st|chapter=earth|publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]|location=Oxford|year=1998|isbn=978-0-19-861263-6}}</ref> |
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Unlike many other Maxis games,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/17/spore-space-phase-is-15-20-hours-has-one-ending/ |title=Spore space phase is 15-20 hours, has one ending |author=Ross Miller |publisher=Joystiq |date=July 17, 2008 |access-date=August 25, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080809232447/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/17/spore-space-phase-is-15-20-hours-has-one-ending/ |archive-date=August 9, 2008 |url-status=dead |df=mdy-all }}</ref> ''Spore'' has a primary win condition, which is obtained by reaching a [[supermassive black hole]] placed at the [[Galactic Center|center of the galaxy]] and receiving a "Staff of Life". However, the player may continue to play after any goal has been achieved.<ref name="grobb">{{cite web|url=https://www.gamesradar.com/pc/spore/preview/the-never-ending-game/a-2008021217234558075/g-2006022417441549006|title=The never-ending game|author=Tyler Nagata|work=[[GamesRadar]]|date=February 13, 2008|publisher=[[Future Publishing]]|access-date=April 16, 2020|archive-date=March 14, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314202959/http://www.gamesradar.com/pc/spore/preview/the-never-ending-game/a-2008021217234558075/g-2006022417441549006/|url-status=live}}</ref> The first four phases of the game, if the player uses the editors only minimally, will take up to 15 hours to complete, but can take as little as one or two hours<!-- Note: I did complete the 1st 4 stages in 2 hours. Nuraska-->.<ref name="gamersg">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamersglobal.com/special/interview/interview-with-spores-executive-producer-lucy-bradshaw|title=Interview with ''Spore'' Executive Producer Lucy Bradshaw|work=GamersGlobal|access-date=May 20, 2008|date=May 20, 2008|quote=[http://www.insidemacgames.com/news/story.php?ID=16555 Inside Mac verification]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080520222811/http://www.gamersglobal.com/special/interview/interview-with-spores-executive-producer-lucy-bradshaw|archive-date=May 20, 2008|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Note that there is no time limit for any stage: the player may stay in a single stage as long as they wish, and progress to the next stage when ready. At the end of each phase, the player's actions cause their creature to be assigned a characteristic, or consequence trait. Each phase has three consequence traits, usually based on how aggressively or peacefully the phase was played. Characteristics determine how the creature will start the next phase and give it abilities that can be used later in the game. |
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The name ''Terra'' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|ɛr|ə}} occasionally is used in scientific writing and especially in science fiction to distinguish humanity's inhabited planet from others,<ref>{{OED|Terra}}</ref> while in poetry ''Tellus'' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|ɛ|l|ə|s}} has been used to denote personification of the Earth.<ref>{{OED|Tellus}}</ref> ''Terra'' is also the name of the planet in some [[Romance languages]], languages that evolved from [[Latin]], like Italian and [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], while in other Romance languages the word gave rise to names with slightly altered spellings, like the [[Spanish language|Spanish]] ''Tierra'' and the [[French language|French]] ''Terre''. The Latinate form ''Gæa'' or ''Gaea'' ({{IPAc-en|lang|'|dʒ|iː|.|ə}}) of the Greek poetic name ''[[Gaia]]'' ({{lang|grc|Γαῖα}}; {{IPA|grc|ɡâi̯.a|lang|link=yes}} or {{IPA-el|ɡâj.ja|}}) is rare, though the alternative spelling ''Gaia'' has become common due to the [[Gaia hypothesis]], in which case its pronunciation is {{IPAc-en|ˈ|g|aɪ|.|ə}} rather than the more classical English {{IPAc-en|ˈ|g|eɪ|.|ə}}.<ref>{{OED|Gaia}}</ref> |
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===Stages=== |
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''Spore'' is a game that is separated into stages, each stage presenting a different type of experience with different goals to achieve. The five stages are the Cell Stage, the Creature Stage, the Tribal Stage, the Civilization Stage, and the Space Stage. Once the primary objective is completed, the player has the option to advance to the next stage, or continue playing the current stage.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/17390/manuals/manual.pdf?t=1617905702|title=Spore Manual|access-date=October 21, 2022|archive-date=December 6, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221206130009/https://cdn.cloudflare.steamstatic.com/steam/apps/17390/manuals/manual.pdf?t=1617905702|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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There are a number of adjectives for the planet Earth. The word "earthly" is derived from "Earth". From the [[Latin]] ''Terra'' comes ''terran'' {{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|ɛr|ə|n}},<ref>{{OED|Terran}}</ref> ''terrestrial'' {{IPAc-en|t|ə|ˈ|r|ɛ|s|t|r|i|ə|l}},<ref>{{OED|terrestrial}}</ref> and (via French) ''terrene'' {{IPAc-en|t|ə|ˈ|r|iː|n}},<ref>{{OED|terrene}}</ref> and from the Latin ''Tellus'' comes ''tellurian'' {{IPAc-en|t|ɛ|ˈ|l|ʊər|i|ə|n}}<ref>{{OED|tellurian}}</ref> and ''telluric''.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |url=http://www.lexico.com/definition/telluric |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331100415/https://www.lexico.com/definition/telluric |url-status=dead |archive-date=31 March 2021 |title=telluric |dictionary=[[Lexico]] UK English Dictionary |publisher=[[Oxford University Press]]}}</ref> |
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====Cell Stage==== |
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[[File:Spore cellphase.jpg|thumb|left|A screenshot of a near-final prototype cell stage. The large creatures in the background are drawn into the foreground as the player's organism evolves.]] |
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The [[cell (biology)|Cell]] Stage (sometimes referred to as the [[tide pool]], cellular, or microbial stage) is the very first stage in the game, and begins with a cinematic explanation of how the player's cell got onto the planet through the [[Abiogenesis|scientific concept]] of [[panspermia]], with a meteor crashing into the ocean of a planet and breaking apart, revealing a [[prokaryote|single-celled organism]]. The player guides this simple [[micro-organism|microbe]] around in a [[3D computer graphics|3D environment]] on a single 2D plane, reminiscent of [[Flow (video game)|Flow]], where it must deal with [[fluid dynamics]] and predators, while eating meat chunks or plants. The player may choose whether the creature is a herbivore or a carnivore prior to starting the stage.<ref name="e308vid">{{cite web|url=http://www.gametrailers.com/player/36764.html|title=GameTrailers E3 2008 ''Spore'' Developer Walkthrough Part 1|work=GameTrailers|access-date=July 20, 2008|archive-date=July 21, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080721063555/http://www.gametrailers.com/player/36764.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The player can find "meteor bits" (apparently from the aforementioned panspermic meteor) or kill other cells to find parts that upgrade their creature by adding abilities such as electricity, poison or other parts. Once the microbe has found a part, the player can call a mate to enter the editor, in which they can modify the shape, abilities and appearance of the microbe by spending "DNA points" earned by eating meat chunks or plants in the stage. |
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== Natural history == |
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The cell's eating habits in the Cell Stage directly influence its diet in the Creature Stage, and only mouths appropriate to the diet (Herbivore, Carnivore, or Omnivore) established in the Cell Stage will become available in the Creature Stage. Once the creature ''grows'' a brain and the player decides to progress to the next stage, the creature editor appears, prompting the user to add legs before the shift to land. The Creature editor differs in that it gives the player the ability to make major changes to the creature's body shape and length, and place parts in three-dimensional space instead of a top-down view as in the Cell editor. |
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{{Main|History of Earth|Timeline of natural history}} |
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=== Formation === |
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{{Further|Early Earth|Hadean}} |
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In the Creature Stage, the player creates their own land creature intended to live on a single continent. If the player attempts to swim to another island, an unidentified monster eats the player, and the player is warned not to come again. The biosphere contains a variety of animal species which carnivorous and omnivorous creatures can hunt for food, and fruit-bearing plants intended for herbivores and omnivores. The player creature's Hunger becomes a measured stat as well as its Health in this stage; depletion of the Hunger meter results in Health depletion and eventual death of the player creature unless food is eaten. |
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[[File:The Mysterious Case of the Disappearing Dust.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.3|A 2012 artistic impression of the early [[Solar System]]'s [[protoplanetary disk]] from which Earth and other Solar System bodies were formed]] |
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The oldest material found in the [[Solar System]] is dated to {{val|4.5682|0.0002|0.0004}} [[Gigaannum|Ga]] (billion years) ago.<ref name=bouvier_wadhwa2010 /> By {{val|4.54|0.04|u=Ga}} the primordial Earth had formed.<ref name="age_earth1" /> The bodies in [[Formation and evolution of the Solar System|the Solar System formed and evolved]] with the Sun. In theory, a [[solar nebula]] partitions a volume out of a [[molecular cloud]] by gravitational collapse, which begins to spin and flatten into a [[circumstellar disk]], and then the planets grow out of that disk with the Sun. A nebula contains gas, ice grains, and [[Cosmic dust|dust]] (including [[primordial nuclide]]s). According to [[nebular theory]], [[planetesimal]]s formed by [[accretion (astrophysics)|accretion]], with the primordial Earth being estimated as likely taking anywhere from 70 to 100 million years to form.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20180002991|title=Ag Isotopic Evolution of the Mantle During Accretion: New Constraints from Pd and Ag Metal–Silicate Partitioning|journal=Differentiation: Building the Internal Architecture of Planets|last1=Righter|first1=K.|first2=M.|last2=Schonbachler|date=7 May 2018|volume=2084|page=4034|bibcode=2018LPICo2084.4034R|access-date=25 October 2020|archive-date=6 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106093844/https://ntrs.nasa.gov/citations/20180002991|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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In the Creature Stage, the player has a home nest where members of their own species are located. The nest is where the player respawns following death, and acts as a recovery point for lost HP. Other species' nests are spread throughout the continent. While interacting with them, the player can choose to be ''social'' or ''aggressive''; how the player interacts with other creatures will affect their opinion of the player's species. For instance, by mimicking their social behaviors (singing, dancing etc.), NPC creatures will eventually consider the player an ally, but if the player harms members of their species, they will flee or become aggressive upon sighting them. The player can heal in allied nests and add allied creatures to their packs. ''Epic'' creatures, which are rare, aggressive creatures more than twenty times the player's height, feature prominently in the Creature Stage. The player cannot use social interactions with an Epic creature. There are also ''Rogue'' creatures which may be befriended or attacked. Additionally, spaceships may appear in this stage and abduct a creature. |
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Estimates of the age of the Moon range from 4.5 Ga to significantly younger.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Tartèse|first1=Romain|last2=Anand|first2=Mahesh|last3=Gattacceca|first3=Jérôme|last4=Joy|first4=Katherine H.|author-link4=Katherine Joy|last5=Mortimer|first5=James I.|last6=Pernet-Fisher|first6=John F.|last7=Russell|first7=Sara|author7-link=Sara Russell|last8=Snape|first8=Joshua F.|last9=Weiss|first9=Benjamin P.|date=2019|title=Constraining the Evolutionary History of the Moon and the Inner Solar System: A Case for New Returned Lunar Samples|journal=Space Science Reviews|language=en|volume=215|issue=8|page=54|doi=10.1007/s11214-019-0622-x|bibcode=2019SSRv..215...54T|issn=1572-9672|doi-access=free}}</ref> A [[giant impact hypothesis|leading hypothesis]] is that it was formed by accretion from material loosed from Earth after a [[Mars]]-sized object with about 10% of Earth's mass, named [[Theia (planet)|Theia]], collided with Earth.<ref name=reilly20091022 /> It hit Earth with a glancing blow and some of its mass merged with Earth.<ref name="canup_asphaug2001b" /><ref>{{cite journal|title=On the origin and composition of Theia: Constraints from new models of the Giant Impact|journal=Icarus|last1=Meier|first1=M. M. M.|last2=Reufer|first2=A.|last3=Wieler|first3=R.|date=4 August 2014|volume=242|page=5|doi=10.1016/j.icarus.2014.08.003|arxiv=1410.3819|bibcode=2014Icar..242..316M|s2cid=119226112|issn = 0019-1035 }}</ref> Between approximately 4.1 and {{val|3.8|u=Ga}}, numerous [[Impact event|asteroid impacts]] during the [[Late Heavy Bombardment]] caused significant changes to the greater surface environment of the Moon and, by inference, to that of Earth.<ref>{{cite book|title=Encyclopedia of Astrobiology|first1=Philippe|last1=Claeys|first2=Alessandro|last2=Morbidelli|author-link2=Alessandro Morbidelli (astronomer)|editor-first1=Muriel|editor-last1= Gargaud|editor-first2=Prof Ricardo|editor-last2=Amils|editor-first3= José Cernicharo|editor-last3= Quintanilla|editor-first4= Henderson James (Jim) |editor-last4= Cleaves II|editor-first5=William M.|editor-last5=Irvine|editor-first6= Prof Daniele L.|editor-last6= Pinti|editor-first7= Michel|editor-last7= Viso|year= 2011|publisher=Springer Berlin Heidelberg|pages=909–912|doi=10.1007/978-3-642-11274-4_869|chapter=Late Heavy Bombardment|isbn= 978-3-642-11271-3}}</ref> |
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Progress in the Creature Stage is determined by the player's decisions on whether to befriend or attack other species. These decisions will affect the abilities of the player's species in subsequent stages of the game. Successful socialization and hunting attempts will give DNA Points, which may be spent on many new body parts. The player will also be rewarded with multiple DNA points for allying with or causing the extinction of a species. Placing new parts in the Creature editor comes at the expense of DNA points; more expensive parts will further upgrade the player creature's abilities for either method of interaction, as well as secondary abilities such as flight, speed or boosted health. After the player is finished editing, a newly evolved generation of creatures will be present in the home nest as the player's creature hatches. As the player's creature befriends or hunts more creatures, its intelligence and size increases until it can form a tribe. |
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=== After formation === |
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{{Main|Geological history of Earth}} |
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After the brain of the player's species evolves sufficiently, the species may enter the Tribal Stage. The species' design becomes permanent, and the player sheds control of an individual creature in favor of the entire tribe group, as the game focuses on the birth of [[division of labor]] for the species.<ref name="igntribvideo">{{cite web|url=http://pc.ign.com/dor/objects/735340/spore/videos/spore_tribalpreview_081408.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080827133812/http://pc.ign.com/dor/objects/735340/spore/videos/spore_tribalpreview_081408.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=August 27, 2008|title=Spore PC Games Preview – Tribal Stage Video Preview|author=Jason Ocampo|work=[[IGN]]|publisher=IGN|date=August 25, 2008}}</ref> The player is given a hut, a group of up to 12 fully evolved creatures,<ref name=PCJan08>''[[PC Gamer]]'', January 2008, p42-p46</ref> as well as two of six possible Consequence Abilities, unlocked depending on the species' behavior in the previous phases. This is only possible if the player played the previous stages; if the player started directly from the ''Galaxy Screen'', they are locked.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://eu.spore.com/whatisspore/article.cfm?id=23449|title=Spore – What is spore?|access-date=July 23, 2007|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080919225219/http://eu.spore.com/whatisspore/article.cfm?id=23449|archive-date=September 19, 2008|df=mdy-all}}</ref> |
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[[Atmosphere of Earth|Earth's atmosphere]] and oceans were formed by [[volcanism|volcanic activity]] and [[outgassing]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/timeline/gallery/slide_17.html |title=Earth's Early Atmosphere and Oceans |work=[[Lunar and Planetary Institute]] |publisher=[[Universities Space Research Association]] |access-date=27 June 2019 |archive-date=8 July 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190708180329/https://www.lpi.usra.edu/education/timeline/gallery/slide_17.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Water vapor from these sources [[Origin of water on Earth|condensed]] into the oceans, augmented by water and ice from asteroids, [[protoplanet]]s, and [[comet]]s.<ref name="watersource" /> Sufficient water to fill the oceans may have been on Earth since it formed.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Piani|first1=Laurette|last2=Marrocchi|first2=Yves|last3=Rigaudier|first3=Thomas|last4=Vacher|first4=Lionel G.|last5=Thomassin|first5=Dorian|last6=Marty|first6=Bernard|display-authors=1|date=2020|title=Earth's water may have been inherited from material similar to enstatite chondrite meteorites|url=https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aba1948|journal=Science|language=en|volume=369|issue=6507|pages=1110–1113|doi=10.1126/science.aba1948|issn=0036-8075|pmid=32855337|bibcode=2020Sci...369.1110P|s2cid=221342529}}</ref> In this model, atmospheric [[greenhouse gas]]es kept the oceans from freezing when the newly forming Sun [[Faint young Sun paradox|had only 70%]] of its [[solar luminosity|current luminosity]].<ref name="asp2002" /> By {{val|3.5|u=Ga}}, [[Earth's magnetic field]] was established, which helped prevent the atmosphere from being stripped away by the [[solar wind]].<ref name="physorg20100304" /> |
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[[File:NASA-EarlyEarth-PaleOrangeDot-20190802.jpg|left|thumb|upright=1.5|''Pale orange dot'', an artist's impression of [[Early Earth]], featuring its tinted orange [[methane]]-rich [[Prebiotic atmosphere|early atmosphere]]<ref name="Trainer Pavlov DeWitt Jimenez pp. 18035–18042">{{cite journal |last1=Trainer |first1=Melissa G. |last2=Pavlov |first2=Alexander A. |last3=DeWitt |first3=H. Langley |last4=Jimenez |first4=Jose L. |last5=McKay |first5=Christopher P. |last6=Toon |first6=Owen B. |last7=Tolbert |first7=Margaret A. |display-authors=1 |date=28 November 2006 |title=Organic haze on Titan and the early Earth |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |volume=103 |issue=48 |pages=18035–18042 |doi=10.1073/pnas.0608561103 |issn=0027-8424 |pmc=1838702 |pmid=17101962 |doi-access=free}}</ref>]] |
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Gameplay during this stage is styled as an [[real-time strategy game|RTS]]. Rather than controlling one creature, the player now controls an entire tribe and can give them commands such as gathering food, attacking other tribes or simply moving to a certain location. The player may give the tribe tools such as [[weapons]], [[musical instruments]], and healing or food-gathering implements. Food now replaces "DNA points" as the player's currency, and can be spent on structures and additional tribe members, or used to appease other tribes of different species. Tribe members also gain the option to wear clothes, the editing of which replaces the Creature Editor in the 'Tribal Outfitter'.<ref name="PCJan08"/> |
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As the molten outer layer of Earth cooled it [[Phase transition|formed]] the first solid [[Earth's crust|crust]], which is thought to have been [[mafic]] in composition. The first [[continental crust]], which was more [[felsic]] in composition, formed by the partial melting of this mafic crust.<ref name="comp">{{cite journal |title=The composition of the Earth |year=1995 |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0009254194001404 |doi=10.1016/0009-2541(94)00140-4 |last1=McDonough |first1=W.F. |last2=Sun |first2=S.-s. |journal=Chemical Geology |volume=120 |issue=3–4 |pages=223–253 |bibcode=1995ChGeo.120..223M |access-date=6 May 2023 |archive-date=6 May 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230506174028/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/0009254194001404 |url-status=live }}</ref> The presence of grains of the [[Hadean zircon|mineral zircon of Hadean age]] in [[Eoarchean]] [[sedimentary rock]]s suggests that at least some felsic crust existed as early as {{val|4.4|u=Ga}}, only {{val|140|u=[[Megaannum|Ma]]}} after Earth's formation.<ref name="science310_5756_1947" /> There are two main models of how this initial small volume of continental crust evolved to reach its current abundance:<ref name="williams_santosh2004" /> (1) a relatively steady growth up to the present day,<ref name="science164_1229" /> which is supported by the radiometric dating of continental crust globally and (2) an initial rapid growth in the volume of continental crust during the [[Archean]], forming the bulk of the continental crust that now exists,<ref name="ajes38_613" /><ref name="tp322_19" /> which is supported by isotopic evidence from [[hafnium]] in [[zircon]]s and [[neodymium]] in sedimentary rocks. The two models and the data that support them can be reconciled by large-scale [[crustal recycling|recycling of the continental crust]], particularly during the early stages of Earth's history.<ref name="Dhuime_etal_2018" /> |
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Combat can be made more effective with weapons like stone axes, spears, and torches. For socializing, a player can obtain musical instruments: wooden horns, maracas and didgeridoos. Miscellaneous tools can be used for fishing and gathering food and for healing tribe members. All tools, however, require a specialized tool shack, which costs food to build. Tribe members can also gather food, an essential concept. Food can be stolen by wild creatures or by other tribes in the form of raids. |
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New continental crust forms as a result of [[plate tectonics]], a process ultimately driven by the continuous loss of heat from Earth's interior. Over [[Geologic time scale|the period]] of hundreds of millions of years, tectonic forces have caused areas of continental crust to group together to form [[supercontinent]]s that have subsequently broken apart. At approximately {{val|750|u=Ma}}, one of the earliest known supercontinents, [[Rodinia]], began to break apart. The continents later recombined to form [[Pannotia]] at {{val|600|–|540|u=Ma}}, then finally [[Pangaea]], which also began to break apart at {{val|180|u=Ma}}.<ref name="bradley_2011" /> |
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The diet choice that the player made in prior stages, whether herbivore, omnivore, or carnivore, determines what food the tribe can gather and eat. Animals can be hunted for meat, and fish or seaweed can be speared for food. Fruit is gathered from trees and bushes, and players can also domesticate animals for eggs, which all diet types can eat. Any foreign animals in the player's pack in the Creature Stage are automatically added to the tribe as farm animals. Epic creatures may threaten nests or tribes. Allied tribes will occasionally bring the player gifts of food. Players can steal food from other tribes (though it angers them), and dead tribes may be pillaged for their food. |
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The most recent pattern of [[ice age]]s began about {{val|40|u=Ma}},<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.amnh.org/explore/ology/earth/ask-a-scientist-about-our-environment/how-did-the-ice-age-end |title=When and how did the ice age end? Could another one start? |first=Ro |last=Kinzler |access-date=27 June 2019 |website=Ology |publisher=[[American Museum of Natural History]] |archive-date=27 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190627220742/https://www.amnh.org/explore/ology/earth/ask-a-scientist-about-our-environment/how-did-the-ice-age-end |url-status=live }}</ref> and then intensified during the [[Pleistocene]] about {{val|3|u=Ma}}.<ref>{{cite journal |title=Causes of ice age intensification across the Mid-Pleistocene Transition |journal=[[Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A]] |date=12 December 2007 |volume=114 |issue=50 |pages=13114–13119 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1702143114 |pmc=5740680 |pmid=29180424 |first1=Thomas B. |last1=Chalk |first2=Mathis P. |last2=Hain |first3=Gavin L. |last3=Foster |first4=Eelco J. |last4=Rohling |first5=Philip F. |last5=Sexton |first6=Marcus P. S. |last6=Badger |first7=Soraya G. |last7=Cherry |first8=Adam P. |last8=Hasenfratz |first9=Gerald H. |last9=Haug |first10=Samuel L. |last10=Jaccard |first11=Alfredo |last11=Martínez-García |first12=Heiko |last12=Pälike |first13=Richard D. |last13=Pancost |first14=Paul A. |last14=Wilson |display-authors=1|doi-access=free }}</ref> [[High latitude|High-]] and [[middle latitude|middle-latitude]] regions have since undergone repeated cycles of glaciation and thaw, repeating about every 21,000, 41,000 and 100,000 years.<ref name="psc" /> The [[Last Glacial Period]], colloquially called the "last ice age", covered large parts of the continents, to the middle latitudes, in ice and ended about 11,700 years ago.<ref>{{cite journal |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0277379110003197 |title=The potential of New Zealand kauri (Agathis australis) for testing the synchronicity of abrupt climate change during the Last Glacial Interval (60,000–11,700 years ago) |journal=Quaternary Science Reviews |publisher=Elsevier |last1=Turner |first1=Chris S.M. |display-authors=et al |year=2010 |doi=10.1016/j.quascirev.2010.08.017 |volume=29 |issue=27–28 |pages=3677–3682 |bibcode=2010QSRv...29.3677T |access-date=3 November 2020 |archive-date=31 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331100359/https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0277379110003197 |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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There are five other tribes that appear along with the player's tribe. For every tribe befriended or destroyed, a piece of a [[totem pole]] is built, which may increase the population limit of the player's tribe or grant access to new tools and clothes. When all five tribes are allied or conquered, the player may move forward to the Civilization Stage.<ref name="gamersg" /><ref name="igntribvideo" /> |
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=== Origin of life and evolution === |
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====Civilization Stage==== |
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{{Main|Abiogenesis{{!}}Origin of life|Earliest known life forms|History of life}} |
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[[File:Spore civphase.jpg|thumb|left|The Civilization Stage focuses on the player developing many cities of three types: Economic, Military and Religious.]] |
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[[Chemical reaction]]s led to the first self-replicating molecules about four billion years ago. A half billion years later, the [[last universal common ancestor|last common ancestor of all current life]] arose.<ref name="sa282_6_90" /> The evolution of [[photosynthesis]] allowed the Sun's energy to be harvested directly by life forms. The resultant [[molecular oxygen]] ({{chem2|O2}}) accumulated in the atmosphere and due to interaction with ultraviolet solar radiation, formed a protective [[ozone layer]] ({{chem2|O3}}) in the upper atmosphere.<ref name="NYT-20131003">{{cite news |last=Zimmer |first=Carl |author-link=Carl Zimmer |title=Earth's Oxygen: A Mystery Easy to Take for Granted |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/03/science/earths-oxygen-a-mystery-easy-to-take-for-granted.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131003121909/http://www.nytimes.com/2013/10/03/science/earths-oxygen-a-mystery-easy-to-take-for-granted.html |archive-date=3 October 2013 |url-access=limited |date=3 October 2013 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=3 October 2013}}</ref> The incorporation of smaller cells within larger ones resulted in the [[endosymbiotic theory|development of complex cells]] called [[eukaryote]]s.<ref name="jas22_3_225" /> True multicellular organisms formed as cells within [[Colony (biology)|colonies]] became increasingly specialized. Aided by the absorption of harmful [[ultraviolet radiation]] by the ozone layer, life colonized Earth's surface.<ref name="burton20021129" /> Among the earliest [[fossil]] evidence for life is [[microbial mat]] fossils found in 3.48 billion-year-old [[sandstone]] in [[Western Australia]],<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Noffke |first1=Nora |author-link=Nora Noffke |last2=Christian |first2=Daniel |last3=Wacey |first3=David |last4=Hazen |first4=Robert M. |author4-link=Robert Hazen |title=Microbially Induced Sedimentary Structures Recording an Ancient Ecosystem in the ca. 3.48 Billion-Year-Old Dresser Formation, Pilbara, Western Australia |date=8 November 2013 |journal=[[Astrobiology (journal)|Astrobiology]] |doi=10.1089/ast.2013.1030 |bibcode=2013AsBio..13.1103N |pmid=24205812 |pmc=3870916 |volume=13 |issue=12 |pages=1103–1124}}</ref> [[Biogenic substance|biogenic]] [[graphite]] found in 3.7 billion-year-old [[metasediment]]ary rocks in [[Western Greenland]],<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Ohtomo |first1=Yoko |last2=Kakegawa |first2=Takeshi |last3=Ishida |first3=Akizumi |last4=Nagase |first4=Toshiro |last5=Rosing |first5=Minik T. |s2cid=54767854 |display-authors=3 |date=January 2014 |title=Evidence for biogenic graphite in early Archaean Isua metasedimentary rocks |journal=[[Nature Geoscience]] |volume=7 |issue=1 |pages=25–28 |bibcode=2014NatGe...7...25O |doi=10.1038/ngeo2025 |issn=1752-0894}}</ref> and remains of [[biotic material]] found in 4.1 billion-year-old rocks in Western Australia.<ref>{{cite news |last=Borenstein |first=Seth |title=Hints of life on what was thought to be desolate early Earth |url=http://apnews.excite.com/article/20151019/us-sci--earliest_life-a400435d0d.html |date=19 October 2015 |work=[[Excite (web portal)|Excite]] |location=Yonkers, NY |publisher=[[Mindspark Interactive Network]] |agency=[[Associated Press]] |access-date=20 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160818063111/https://apnews.excite.com/article/20151019/us-sci--earliest_life-a400435d0d.html |archive-date=18 August 2016}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Bell |first1=Elizabeth A. |last2=Boehnike |first2=Patrick |last3=Harrison |first3=T. Mark |author-link3=T. Mark Harrison |last4=Mao |first4=Wendy L. |author4-link=Wendy Mao |date=19 October 2015 |title=Potentially biogenic carbon preserved in a 4.1 billion-year-old zircon |journal=Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. |doi=10.1073/pnas.1517557112 |issn=1091-6490 |pmid=26483481 |pmc=4664351 |volume=112 |issue=47 |pages=14518–4521 |bibcode=2015PNAS..11214518B |doi-access=free}} Early edition, published online before print.</ref> The [[Earliest known life forms|earliest direct evidence of life]] on Earth is contained in 3.45 billion-year-old [[Australia (continent)|Australian]] rocks showing fossils of [[microorganism]]s.<ref>{{cite web |last=Tyrell |first=Kelly April |title=Oldest fossils ever found show life on Earth began before 3.5 billion years ago |url=https://news.wisc.edu/oldest-fossils-ever-found-show-life-on-earth-began-before-3-5-billion-years-ago/ |date=18 December 2017 |publisher=[[University of Wisconsin–Madison]] |access-date=18 December 2017 |archive-date=31 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331100351/https://news.wisc.edu/oldest-fossils-found-show-life-began-before-3-5-billion-years-ago/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |last1=Schopf |first1=J. William |last2=Kitajima |first2=Kouki |last3=Spicuzza |first3=Michael J. |last4=Kudryavtsev |first4=Anatolly B. |last5=Valley |first5=John W. |title=SIMS analyses of the oldest known assemblage of microfossils document their taxon-correlated carbon isotope compositions |year=2017 |journal=[[Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America|PNAS]] |volume=115 |issue=1 |pages=53–58 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1718063115 |pmid=29255053 |pmc=5776830 |bibcode=2018PNAS..115...53S |doi-access=free}}</ref>[[File:Archean.png|right|thumb|500x500px|An artist's impression of the [[Archean]], the [[Geologic time scale#Divisions of geologic time|eon]] after Earth's formation, featuring round [[stromatolite]]s, which are early oxygen-producing forms of life from billions of years ago. After the [[Late Heavy Bombardment]], [[Earth's crust]] had cooled, its water-rich barren [[planetary surface|surface]] is marked by [[continent]]s and [[volcano]]es, with the Moon still orbiting Earth half as far as it is today, appearing 2.8 times larger and producing strong [[tide]]s.<ref name="Lunar and Planetary Institute">{{cite web |title=Earth-Moon Dynamics |url=https://www.lpi.usra.edu/exploration/training/illustrations/earthMoon/ |access-date=2 September 2022 |website=Lunar and Planetary Institute |archive-date=7 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907215806/https://www.lpi.usra.edu/exploration/training/illustrations/earthMoon/ |url-status=live }}</ref>]]During the [[Neoproterozoic]], {{val|1000|to|539|u=Ma}}, much of Earth might have been covered in ice. This hypothesis has been termed "[[Snowball Earth]]", and it is of particular interest because it preceded the [[Cambrian explosion]], when multicellular life forms significantly increased in complexity.<ref>{{cite book|page=42|title=Climate Change and the Course of Global History|last1=Brooke|first1=John L.|year= 2014|publisher=Cambridge University Press|isbn=978-0-521-87164-8}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|page=56|title=Epigenetic Mechanisms of the Cambrian Explosion|last1=Cabej|first1=Nelson R.|year=2019|publisher=Elsevier Science|isbn=978-0-12-814312-4}}</ref> Following the Cambrian explosion, {{val|535|u=Ma}}, there have been at least five major [[Extinction event|mass extinctions]] and many minor ones.<ref name="Stanley_2016" /> Apart from the proposed current [[Holocene extinction]] event, the [[Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event|most recent]] was {{val|66|u=Ma}}, when [[Chicxulub impactor|an asteroid impact]] triggered the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs and other large reptiles, but largely spared small animals such as insects, [[mammal]]s, lizards and birds. Mammalian life has diversified over the past {{val|66|u=Mys}}, and several million years ago, an African [[ape]] species gained the ability to stand upright.<ref name="gould1994" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Daver |first1=G. |last2=Guy |first2=F. |last3=Mackaye |first3=H. T. |last4=Likius |first4=A. |last5=Boisserie |first5=J.-R. |last6=Moussa |first6=A. |last7=Pallas |first7=L. |last8=Vignaud |first8=P. |last9=Clarisse |first9=N. D. |date=2022 |title=Postcranial evidence of late Miocene hominin bipedalism in Chad |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04901-z |journal=Nature |language=en |volume=609 |issue=7925 |pages=94–100 |doi=10.1038/s41586-022-04901-z |pmid=36002567 |bibcode=2022Natur.609...94D |issn=1476-4687 |access-date=29 March 2024 |archive-date=27 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220827082104/https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-022-04901-z |url-status=live }}</ref> This facilitated tool use and encouraged communication that provided the nutrition and stimulation needed for a larger brain, which led to the [[Human evolution|evolution of humans]]. The [[History of agriculture|development of agriculture]], and then [[List of ancient civilizations|civilization]], led to humans having an [[Human impact on the environment|influence on Earth]] and the nature and quantity of other life forms that continues to this day.<ref name="bgsa119_1_140" /> |
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The events of Tribal Stage have left the player's tribe the dominant species of the planet, but the species itself has now fragmented into many separate nations. The player retains control of a single nation with one city. The goal in the civilization phase is to gain control of the entire planet, and it is left to the player to decide whether to conquer it using military force, diplomacy, or religious influence. Two new editors (the building and vehicle editors) are used to create city buildings and vehicles. The player can place three types of buildings (House, Factory, and Entertainment) around the City Hall (which can also be customized) and may build up to 3 types of vehicles (sea, land and air) at each city. These vehicles serve military, economic or religious purposes. The main unit of currency is "Sporebucks", which is used to purchase vehicles and buildings. To earn income, players can capture spice geysers and set up spice derricks at their locations, conduct trade, or build factories. |
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=== Future === |
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In constructing vehicles and buildings, as with most [[real-time strategy]] games, there is a capacity limit; building houses will increase the cap, and constructing various buildings adjacent to one another will provide a productivity bonus or deficit.<ref name="gamespotprev">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/spore/news.html?sid=6193237&tag=topslot;title;1&om_act=convert&om_clk=topslot|author=Chris Watters|title=Spore Updated Hands-On|work=[[GameSpot]]|date=July 2, 2008|access-date=July 2, 2008|archive-date=December 6, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206001532/http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/spore/news.html?sid=6193237&tag=topslot;title;1&om_act=convert&om_clk=topslot|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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{{Main|Future of Earth}} |
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{{See also|Global catastrophic risk}} |
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[[File:Red Giant Earth warm.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|alt=A dark gray and red sphere representing the Earth lies against a black background to the right of an orange circular object representing the Sun|Conjectured illustration of the scorched Earth after the [[Sun]] has entered the [[red giant]] phase, about 5–7 billion years in the future]] |
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Earth's expected long-term future is tied to that of the Sun. Over the next {{val|1.1|u=billion years}}, solar luminosity will increase by 10%, and over the next {{val|3.5|u=billion years}} by 40%.<ref name="sun_future" /> Earth's increasing surface temperature will accelerate the [[carbonate–silicate cycle|inorganic carbon cycle]], possibly reducing {{chem2|CO2}} concentration to levels lethally low for current plants ({{val|10|ul=ppm}} for [[C4 carbon fixation|C4 photosynthesis]]) in approximately {{val|100|–|900|u=million years}}.<ref name="britt2000" /><ref name="pnas1_24_9576" /> A lack of vegetation would result in the loss of oxygen in the atmosphere, making current animal life impossible.<ref name="ward_brownlee2002" /> Due to the increased luminosity, Earth's mean temperature may reach {{convert|100|C|F|0|abbr=}} in 1.5 billion years, and all ocean water will evaporate and be lost to space, which may trigger a [[runaway greenhouse effect]], within an estimated 1.6 to 3 billion years.<ref name="Mello-2020">{{Cite journal |
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|last1=Mello |first1=Fernando de Sousa |last2=Friaça |first2=Amâncio César Santos |date=2020 |title=The end of life on Earth is not the end of the world: converging to an estimate of life span of the biosphere? |journal=International Journal of Astrobiology |language=en |volume=19 |issue=1 |pages=25–42 |doi=10.1017/S1473550419000120 |bibcode=2020IJAsB..19...25D |issn=1473-5504 |doi-access=free}}</ref> Even if the Sun were stable, a fraction of the water in the modern oceans will descend to the [[Mantle (geology)|mantle]], due to reduced steam venting from mid-ocean ridges.<ref name="Mello-2020" /><ref name="hess5_4_569" /> |
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The Sun will [[stellar evolution|evolve]] to become a [[red giant]] in about {{val|5|u=billion years}}. Models predict that the Sun will expand to roughly {{convert|1|AU|e6km e6mi|lk=in|abbr=unit}}, about 250 times its present radius.<ref name="sun_future" /><ref name="sun_future_schroder" /> Earth's fate is less clear. As a red giant, the Sun will lose roughly 30% of its mass, so, without tidal effects, Earth will move to an orbit {{convert|1.7|AU|e6km e6mi|lk=off|abbr=unit}} from the Sun when the star reaches its maximum radius, otherwise, with tidal effects, it may enter the Sun's atmosphere and be vaporized.<ref name="sun_future" /> |
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The presence of other nations requires the player to continue expanding their empire using military force, [[propaganda]],<ref name="ignprevjune">{{cite web|url=http://pc.ign.com/articles/885/885477p1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080703235348/http://pc.ign.com/articles/885/885477p1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 3, 2008|title=Pre-E3 2008: ''Spore'' Hands-on|work=[[IGN]]|author=Jason Ocampo|date=July 1, 2008}}</ref> or simply buying out cities. Players can choose their method of global domination depending on the types of cities they own. Military states grow solely by attacking other cities. Nations with a religious trait construct special missionary units that convert other cities via religious propaganda. Likewise, economic states communicate solely by trade and have no weapons (except for defensive Turrets). If the player's nation captures a city of a different type, they can choose to have the city retain its original type if they wish, or convert it to match the type it was captured with. Players of all three ideological paths can eventually use a [[superweapon]], which requires a large number of cities and Sporebucks, but gives the player a significant advantage over rival nations. Aside from enemy nations, Epic creatures may threaten individual cities. |
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== Physical characteristics == |
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====Space Stage==== |
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<!--linked from 'Earth physical characteristics tables'--> |
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[[File:Sporespace.jpg|thumb|right|In the Space Stage, the player has access to a galactic map for interstellar travel.]] |
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{{Further|Geophysics}} |
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The Space Stage provides new goals and paths as the player's species begins to spread through the galaxy. The game adopts the [[principle of mediocrity#Extraterrestrial life|principle of mediocrity]], as there are numerous forms of life scattered throughout the galaxy. |
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=== Size and shape === |
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The player controls a single spaceship, built at the beginning of the Space Stage. The player can travel by clicking on other planets and moons and stars, though each jump costs energy. Later in the game, the player can purchase a [[wormhole]] key which enables them to travel through [[black holes]], offering instant transportation to a sister black hole. There are around 500,000 planets in the game's galaxy orbiting around 100,000 stars (including [[Earth]] and its star, Sol). |
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{{Main|Figure of the Earth}} |
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{{Further|Earth radius|Earth's circumference|Spherical Earth{{!}}Earth curvature|Geomorphology}} |
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{{See also|List of highest mountains on Earth}} |
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[[File:Earth2014shape SouthAmerica small.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Earth's western hemisphere showing topography relative to Earth's center instead of to [[mean sea level]], as in common topographic maps]] |
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[[Figure of the Earth|Earth has a rounded shape]], through [[hydrostatic equilibrium]],<ref name="Horner 2021">{{cite web | last=Horner | first=Jonti | title=I've always wondered: why are the stars, planets and moons round, when comets and asteroids aren't? | website=The Conversation | date=16 July 2021 | url= https://theconversation.com/amp/ive-always-wondered-why-are-the-stars-planets-and-moons-round-when-comets-and-asteroids-arent-160541 | access-date=3 March 2023 | archive-date=3 March 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230303211236/https://theconversation.com/amp/ive-always-wondered-why-are-the-stars-planets-and-moons-round-when-comets-and-asteroids-arent-160541 | url-status=live }}</ref> with an average diameter of {{convert|12742|km|mi}}, making it the [[List of Solar System objects by size|fifth largest]] [[Planet#Planetary-mass object|planetary sized]] and largest [[terrestrial planet|terrestrial object]] of the [[Solar System]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lea |first=Robert |date=6 July 2021 |title=How big is Earth? |url=https://www.space.com/17638-how-big-is-earth.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240109225632/https://www.space.com/17638-how-big-is-earth.html |archive-date=9 January 2024 |access-date=11 January 2024 |website=Space.com |language=en}}</ref> |
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Due to [[Earth's rotation]] it has the shape of an [[Earth ellipsoid|ellipsoid]], [[equatorial bulge|bulging at its Equator]]; its diameter is {{convert|43|km|mi}} longer there than at its [[Geographical pole|poles]].<ref name="ngdc2006" /><ref name= "milbert_smith96" /> Earth's shape also has local [[topography|topographic]] variations; the largest local variations, like the [[Mariana Trench]] ({{convert|10925|m|ft|disp=or|abbr=}} below local sea level),<ref>{{Cite journal |last1= Stewart|first1=Heather A.|last2=Jamieson|first2=Alan J.|date=2019|title=The five deeps: The location and depth of the deepest place in each of the world's oceans| journal=Earth-Science Reviews |language=en |volume=197 |pages= 102896 |doi= 10.1016/j.earscirev.2019.102896|bibcode=2019ESRv..19702896S|issn=0012-8252|doi-access=free}}</ref> shortens Earth's average radius by 0.17% and [[Mount Everest]] ({{convert|8848|m|ft|disp=or}} above local sea level) lengthens it by 0.14%.{{refn|group=n| If Earth were shrunk to the size of a [[billiard ball]], some areas of Earth such as large mountain ranges and oceanic trenches would feel like tiny imperfections, whereas much of the planet, including the [[Great Plains]] and the [[abyssal plain]]s, would feel smoother.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://billiards.colostate.edu/bd_articles/2013/june13.pdf |title=Is a Pool Ball Smoother than the Earth? |publisher=Billiards Digest |date=1 June 2013 |access-date= 26 November 2014 |archive-date=4 September 2014 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140904201722/http://billiards.colostate.edu/bd_articles/2013/june13.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>}}<ref>{{cite web|url= https://serc.carleton.edu/quantskills/activities/botec_himalayas.html|title=Back-of-the-Envelope Calculations: Scale of the Himalayas|work=[[Carleton University]] |last1=Tewksbury|first1=Barbara|access-date=19 October 2020|archive-date=23 October 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201023091247/https://serc.carleton.edu/quantskills/activities/botec_himalayas.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Since Earth's surface is farthest out from its [[center of mass]] at its equatorial bulge, the summit of the volcano [[Chimborazo]] in Ecuador ({{convert|6384.4|km|mi|1|abbr=on|disp=or}}) is its farthest point out.<ref name=ps20_5_16 /><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9428163 |title=The 'Highest' Spot on Earth |last1=Krulwich |first1=Robert |author-link=Robert Krulwich |work= NPR.org |date=7 April 2007 |access-date=31 July 2012 |archive-date=30 January 2013 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20130130164111/http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=9428163 |url-status=live }}</ref> Parallel to the rigid land topography [[Ocean surface topography|the ocean exhibits a more dynamic topography]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ocean Surface Topography |url=https://sealevel.jpl.nasa.gov/ocean-observation/ocean-surface-topography |access-date=16 June 2022 |website=Ocean Surface Topography from Space |publisher=[[NASA]] |language=en |archive-date=29 July 2021 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20210729095927/https://sealevel.jpl.nasa.gov/ocean-observation/ocean-surface-topography/ |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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Players can visit and explore all rocky planets with all their lifeforms and geologic structure. These planets can also be [[terraforming|terraformed]] and [[colonization|colonized]]. The colonization of new worlds makes the player's civilization more influential and increases its income. |
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To measure the local variation of Earth's topography, [[geodesy]] employs an idealized Earth producing a [[geoid]] shape. Such a shape is gained if the ocean is idealized, covering Earth completely and without any perturbations such as tides and winds. The result is a smooth but irregular geoid surface, providing a mean sea level (MSL) as a reference level for topographic measurements.<ref>{{Cite web |title=What is the geoid?|url=https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/geoid.html | website= oceanservice.noaa.gov |access-date=10 October 2020 |publisher=[[National Ocean Service]]|language=EN-US|archive-date=17 October 2020 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20201017000735/https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/geoid.html|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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Players can make contact with other space-faring civilizations, or "empires", which sport many different personalities and worldviews, ranging from diplomatic and polite species willing to ally, to distrustful, fanatical empires more willing to wage war. Completing missions for an empire improves the player's relationship with them, as does trading and assisting in fending off attacks. When the player has become allied with an empire, they can ask certain favors of the empire. If the player becomes enemies with an empire, they will send a small fleet of ships to attack the player's ship as soon as they enter their territory. |
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=== Surface === |
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One of the main goals in the Space Stage is for the player to push their way toward a [[supermassive black hole]] at the galaxy's center, which introduces the game's final antagonists, the Grox, a unique species of cybernetic aliens with a powerful empire of 2,400 systems surrounding the core. Getting to the center of the galaxy and entering starts a cinematic in which the player is introduced to Steve. After the cinematic dialogue with Steve ends the player is shot out of the black hole, and gets rewarded with the Staff of Life.<ref name="Sporeending-GSpot">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/spore/news.html?sid=6196796&mode=previews|title=Spore Exclusive Hands-On: From Civ to Space to the ''Spore'' Secret Ending|last=Miller|first=Jon|date=August 26, 2008|website=GameSpot|access-date=September 4, 2008|archive-date=December 6, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206162303/http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/spore/news.html?sid=6196796&mode=previews|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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{{Further|Planetary surface|Land cover|Land|Pedosphere|Ocean|Sea|Cryosphere|Peplosphere}} |
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[[File:Global View of the Arctic and Antarctic.jpg|thumb|A [[compositing|composite]] image of Earth, with its different types of surface discernible: Earth's surface dominating Ocean (blue), Africa with lush (green) to dry (brown) land and Earth's polar ice in the form of [[Antarctic sea ice]] (grey) covering the [[Southern Ocean|Antarctic or Southern Ocean]] and the [[Antarctic ice sheet]] (white) covering [[Antarctica]].]] |
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[[File:AYool topography 15min.png|thumb|upright=1.3|[[Terrain|Relief]] of [[Earth's crust]]]] |
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Earth's surface is the boundary between the atmosphere, and the solid Earth and oceans. Defined in this way, it has an area of about {{convert|510|e6km2|e6sqmi|0|abbr=unit}}.<ref name="Pidwirny 2006_8" /> Earth can be divided into two [[Hemispheres of Earth|hemispheres]]: by [[latitude]] into the polar [[Northern Hemisphere|Northern]] and [[Southern Hemisphere|Southern]] hemispheres; or by [[longitude]] into the continental [[Eastern Hemisphere|Eastern]] and [[Western Hemisphere|Western]] hemispheres. |
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Most of Earth's surface is ocean water: 70.8% or {{convert|361|e6km2|e6sqmi|abbr=unit}}.<ref name="Percentage">{{Cite web|url=http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/8o.html|title=8(o) Introduction to the Oceans|website=www.physicalgeography.net|access-date=26 November 2007|archive-date=9 December 2006|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061209125035/http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/8o.html|url-status=live}}</ref> This vast pool of salty water is often called the ''world ocean'',<ref name="Janin Mandia 2012 p. 20">{{cite book |last1=Janin |first1=H. |last2=Mandia |first2=S.A. |title=Rising Sea Levels: An Introduction to Cause and Impact |publisher=McFarland, Incorporated, Publishers |year=2012 |isbn=978-0-7864-5956-8 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=it27LP5V0ugC&pg=PA20 |access-date=26 August 2022 |page=20 |archive-date=21 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230221195211/https://books.google.com/books?id=it27LP5V0ugC&pg=PA20 |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Ro 2020">{{cite web |last=Ro |first=Christine |title=Is It Ocean Or Oceans? |website=Forbes |date=3 February 2020 |url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/christinero/2020/02/03/is-it-ocean-or-oceans/ |access-date=26 August 2022 |archive-date=26 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220826231806/https://www.forbes.com/sites/christinero/2020/02/03/is-it-ocean-or-oceans/ |url-status=live }}</ref> and makes Earth with its dynamic [[hydrosphere]] a water world<ref name="Smith 2021">{{cite web |last=Smith |first=Yvette |title=Earth Is a Water World |website=NASA |date=7 June 2021 |url=http://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/earth-is-a-water-world |access-date=27 August 2022 |archive-date=27 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220827003111/https://www.nasa.gov/image-feature/earth-is-a-water-world/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="National Geographic Society 2022">{{cite web |title=Water-Worlds |website=National Geographic Society |date=20 May 2022 |url=https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/water-worlds/ |access-date=24 August 2022 |archive-date=19 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220819111728/https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/water-worlds/ |url-status=live }}</ref> or [[ocean world]].<ref name="Lunine 2017 pp. 123–130">{{cite journal |last=Lunine |first=Jonathan I. |title=Ocean worlds exploration |journal=Acta Astronautica |publisher=Elsevier BV |volume=131 |year=2017 |issn=0094-5765 |doi=10.1016/j.actaastro.2016.11.017 |pages=123–130|bibcode=2017AcAau.131..123L |doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name="Ocean Worlds">{{cite web |title=Ocean Worlds |website=Ocean Worlds |url=http://www.nasa.gov/specials/ocean-worlds/index.html |access-date=27 August 2022 |archive-date=27 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220827003111/https://www.nasa.gov/specials/ocean-worlds/index.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> Indeed, in Earth's early history the ocean may have covered Earth completely.<ref name="Voosen p.">{{cite journal | last=Voosen | first=Paul | title=Ancient Earth was a water world | journal=Science | publisher=American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) | date=9 March 2021 | volume=371 | issue=6534 | pages=1088–1089 | issn=0036-8075 | doi=10.1126/science.abh4289 | pmid=33707245 | s2cid=241687784 }}</ref> The world ocean is commonly divided into the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, [[Southern Ocean|Antarctic or Southern Ocean]], and Arctic Ocean, from largest to smallest. The ocean covers [[oceanic crust|Earth's oceanic crust]], with the [[shelf sea]]s covering the [[continental shelf|shelves]] of the [[continental crust]] to a lesser extent. The oceanic crust forms large [[oceanic basin]]s with features like [[abyssal plain]]s, [[seamount]]s, [[submarine volcano]]es,<ref name="ngdc2006" /> [[oceanic trench]]es, [[submarine canyon]]s, [[oceanic plateau]]s, and a globe-spanning [[mid-ocean ridge]] system.<ref>{{Cite web |title=NOAA Ocean Explorer: GalAPAGoS: Where Ridge Meets Hotspot |url=https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/05galapagos/background/mid_ocean_ridge/mid_ocean_ridge.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231115110723/https://oceanexplorer.noaa.gov/explorations/05galapagos/background/mid_ocean_ridge/mid_ocean_ridge.html |archive-date=15 November 2023 |access-date=28 April 2024 |website=oceanexplorer.noaa.gov}}</ref> At Earth's [[polar regions of Earth|polar regions]], the [[ocean surface]] is covered by seasonally variable amounts of [[sea ice]] that often connects with polar land, [[permafrost]] and [[ice sheet]]s, forming [[polar ice cap]]s. |
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Another major goal in the game is to eradicate the Grox, which yields an achievement. |
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Earth's land covers 29.2%, or {{convert|149|e6km2|e6sqmi|abbr=unit}} of Earth's surface. The land surface includes many islands around the globe, but most of the land surface is taken by the four continental [[landmass]]es, which are (in descending order): [[Afro-Eurasia|Africa-Eurasia]], [[Americas|America (landmass)]], [[Antarctica]], and [[Mainland Australia|Australia (landmass)]].<ref name="DunnMitchell2016">{{cite book|first1=Ross E.|last1=Dunn|first2=Laura J.|last2=Mitchell|first3=Kerry|last3=Ward|title=The New World History: A Field Guide for Teachers and Researchers|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=-aowDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA232|year=2016|publisher=Univ of California Press|isbn=978-0-520-28989-5|pages=232–|access-date=9 August 2023|archive-date=21 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230221195225/https://books.google.com/books?id=-aowDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA232|url-status=live}}</ref><ref name="Dempsey 2013">{{cite web |last=Dempsey |first=Caitlin |title=Geography Facts about the World's Continents |website=Geography Realm |date=15 October 2013 |url=https://www.geographyrealm.com/continents/ |access-date=26 August 2022 |archive-date=26 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220826235549/https://www.geographyrealm.com/continents/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="McColl">{{cite encyclopedia|title=continents|encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of World Geography|volume=1|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=DJgnebGbAB8C&pg=PA215|editor=R.W. McColl|year=2005|publisher=Facts on File, Inc.|isbn=978-0-8160-7229-3|page=215|access-date=25 August 2022|quote=And since Africa and Asia are connected at the Suez Peninsula, Europe, Africa, and Asia are sometimes combined as Afro-Eurasia or Eurafrasia. The International Olympic Committee's official flag, containing [...] the single continent of America (North and South America being connected as the Isthmus of Panama).|archive-date=21 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230221195231/https://books.google.com/books?id=DJgnebGbAB8C&pg=PA215|url-status=live}}</ref> These landmasses are further broken down and grouped into the [[continent]]s. The [[terrain]] of the land surface varies greatly and consists of mountains, [[desert]]s, [[plain]]s, [[plateau]]s, and other [[landform]]s. The elevation of the land surface varies from a low point of {{convert|-418|m|ft|abbr=on}} at the [[Dead Sea]], to a maximum altitude of {{convert|8,848|m|ft|abbr=on}} at the top of [[Mount Everest]]. The mean height of land above sea level is about {{convert|797|m|ft|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web|last=Center|first=National Geophysical Data|title=Hypsographic Curve of Earth's Surface from ETOPO1|url=https://ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/global/etopo1_surface_histogram.html|website=ngdc.noaa.gov|date=19 August 2020|access-date=15 September 2017|archive-date=15 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170915114233/https://ngdc.noaa.gov/mgg/global/etopo1_surface_histogram.html|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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====Removed stages==== |
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Several other stages were mentioned at various points by the developers, including a Molecular Stage, an Aquatic Stage, a City Stage, and a Terraforming Stage. These stages were scrapped. |
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Land can be [[land cover|covered]] by [[surface water]], snow, ice, artificial structures or vegetation. Most of Earth's land hosts vegetation,<ref name="Carlowicz Simmon 2019">{{cite web | last1=Carlowicz | first1=Michael | last2=Simmon | first2=Robert | title=Seeing Forests for the Trees and the Carbon: Mapping the World's Forests in Three Dimensions | website=NASA Earth Observatory | date=15 July 2019 | url=https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/ForestCarbon#:~:text=They%20cover%20about%2030%20percent,percent%20of%20the%20Earth's%20land. | access-date=31 December 2022 | archive-date=31 December 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221231005400/https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/ForestCarbon#:~:text=They%20cover%20about%2030%20percent,percent%20of%20the%20Earth's%20land. | url-status=live }}</ref> but considerable amounts of land are [[ice sheet]]s (10%,<ref name="National Geographic Society 2006">{{cite web | title=Ice Sheet | website=National Geographic Society | date=6 August 2006 | url=https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/ice-sheet/ | access-date=3 January 2023 | archive-date=27 November 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231127174259/https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/ice-sheet/ | url-status=live }}</ref> not including the equally large area of land under [[permafrost]])<ref name="Obu 2021 p.">{{cite journal | last=Obu | first=J. | title=How Much of the Earth's Surface is Underlain by Permafrost? | journal=Journal of Geophysical Research: Earth Surface | publisher=American Geophysical Union (AGU) | volume=126 | issue=5 | year=2021 | issn=2169-9003 | doi=10.1029/2021jf006123 | page=| bibcode=2021JGRF..12606123O | s2cid=235532921 }}</ref> or [[desert]]s (33%).<ref name="Cain 2010">{{cite web | last=Cain | first=Fraser | title=What Percentage of the Earth's Land Surface is Desert? | website=Universe Today | date=1 June 2010 | url=https://www.universetoday.com/65639/what-percentage-of-the-earths-land-surface-is-desert/ | access-date=3 January 2023 | archive-date=3 January 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230103153344/https://www.universetoday.com/65639/what-percentage-of-the-earths-land-surface-is-desert/ | url-status=live }}</ref> |
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; Galactic Adventures |
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{{Main|Spore Galactic Adventures}} |
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The [[pedosphere]] is the outermost layer of Earth's land surface and is composed of soil and subject to [[soil formation]] processes. Soil is crucial for land to be arable. Earth's total [[arable land]] is 10.7% of the land surface, with 1.3% being permanent cropland.<ref>{{cite web |title=World Bank arable land |url=http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/AG.LND.ARBL.ZS/countries/1W?display=graph |publisher=World Bank |access-date=19 October 2015 |archive-date=2 October 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151002170510/http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/AG.LND.ARBL.ZS/countries/1w?display=graph |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=World Bank permanent cropland |url=http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/AG.LND.CROP.ZS/countries?display=graph |publisher=World Bank |access-date=19 October 2015 |archive-date=13 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150713131245/http://data.worldbank.org/indicator/AG.LND.CROP.ZS/countries?display=graph |url-status=live }}</ref> Earth has an estimated {{convert|16.7|e6km2|e6sqmi|abbr=unit}} of cropland and {{convert|33.5|e6km2|e6sqmi|abbr=unit}} of pastureland.<ref name="Hooke2012">{{cite journal |url=https://www.geosociety.org/gsatoday/archive/22/12/pdf/gt1212.pdf |title=Land transformation by humans: A review |journal=GSA Today |first1=Roger LeB. |last1=Hooke |first2=José F. |last2=Martín-Duque |first3=Javier |last3=Pedraza |volume=22 |issue=12 |pages=4–10 |date=December 2012 |doi=10.1130/GSAT151A.1 |bibcode=2012GSAT...12l...4H |access-date=9 January 2018 |archive-date=9 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180109181247/https://www.geosociety.org/gsatoday/archive/22/12/pdf/gt1212.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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If Galactic Adventures is installed, the player may be given missions which involve travelling to planets, beaming down and completing Maxis-created, planetside 'adventures'. With this expansion, the player can also outfit their Captain with weapons and accessories which assist in these adventures. The occupants of allied ships can also take part. |
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The land surface and the [[ocean floor]] form the top of [[Earth's crust]], which together with parts of the [[upper mantle (Earth)|upper mantle]] form [[Lithosphere#Earth's lithosphere|Earth's lithosphere]]. Earth's crust may be divided into [[oceanic crust|oceanic]] and [[continental crust|continental]] crust. Beneath the ocean-floor sediments, the oceanic crust is predominantly [[basalt]]ic, while the continental crust may include lower density materials such as [[granite]], sediments and metamorphic rocks.<ref name="layers_earth" /> Nearly 75% of the continental surfaces are covered by sedimentary rocks, although they form about 5% of the mass of the crust.<ref name=jessey /> |
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===Editors/creators=== |
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{{See also|Spore Creature Creator}} |
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[[File:SporeEditor.jpg|thumb|right|Tribal phase clothing editor]] |
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[[User-generated content]] is a major feature of ''Spore'';<ref>{{Cite news |last=King |first=Tayfun |date=2006-05-19 |title=User-generated future for gaming |language=en-GB |work=BBC |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/4997036.stm |access-date=2023-11-18 |archive-date=September 21, 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170921145714/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/click_online/4997036.stm |url-status=live }}</ref> there are eighteen different editors (some unique to a phase).<ref name="e308vid" /> All have the same general [[user interface|UI]] and controls for positioning, scaling and colouring parts, whether for the creation of a creature, or for a building or vehicle. The Creature editor, for example, allows the player to take what looks like a lump of clay with a spine and mould it into a creature. Once the torso is shaped, the player can add parts such as legs, arms, feet, hands, noses, eyes, and mouths. Many of these parts affect the creature's abilities (speed, strength, diet, etc.), while some parts are purely decorative. Once the creature is formed, it can be painted using a large number of textures, overlays, colours, and patterns, which are [[procedural generation|procedurally]] applied depending on the topology of the creature. The only required feature is the mouth. All other parts are optional; for example, creatures without legs will slither on the ground like a slug or an inchworm, and creatures without arms will be unable to pick up objects. |
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Earth's surface [[topography]] comprises both the [[ocean surface topography|topography of the ocean surface]], and the [[hypsometry|shape]] of Earth's land surface. The submarine terrain of the ocean floor has an average [[bathymetric]] depth of 4 km, and is as varied as the terrain above sea level. Earth's surface is continually being shaped by internal [[plate tectonic]] processes including [[earthquakes]] and [[volcanism]]; by [[weathering]] and [[erosion]] driven by ice, water, wind and temperature; and by [[biological processes]] including the growth and decomposition of [[biomass]] into [[soil]].<ref name="kring" /><ref>{{cite book|last=Martin|first=Ronald|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=agaOKrvAoeAC|title=Earth's Evolving Systems: The History of Planet Earth|publisher=Jones & Bartlett Learning|year=2011|isbn=978-0-7637-8001-2|oclc=635476788|access-date=9 August 2023|archive-date=21 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230221195236/https://books.google.com/books?id=agaOKrvAoeAC|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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Although there is not a formal planet editor, in the Space Stage, players can freely [[terraforming|terraform]] all rocky planets in the galaxy, adding mountains, valleys, lakes, etc. Players can also change these planets' biological [[ecosystem]]s. |
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=== Tectonic plates === |
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There are two new editors seen in the new expansion [[Spore Galactic Adventures]]: these include the captain editor (also called the captain outfitter) and the adventure creator, which enables terraforming and placing objects freely on adventure planets. |
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{{Main|Plate tectonics}} |
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[[File:Tectonic plates (empty).svg|alt=Shows the extent and boundaries of tectonic plates, with superimposed outlines of the continents they support|thumb|[[List of tectonic plates|Earth's major plates]], which are:<ref name="brown_wohletz2005" />{{Hlist|{{Legend inline|#fee6aa|[[Pacific Plate]]}}|{{Legend inline|#fb9a7a|[[African Plate]]<ref group="n" name="jaes41_3_379" />}}|{{Legend inline|#ac8d7f|[[North American Plate]]}}|{{Legend inline|#7fa172|[[Eurasian Plate]]}}|{{Legend inline|#8a9dbe|[[Antarctic Plate]]}}|{{Legend inline|#fcb482|[[Indo-Australian Plate]]}}|{{Legend inline|#ad82b0|[[South American Plate]]}}}}]] |
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Earth's mechanically rigid outer layer of [[Earth's crust]] and [[upper mantle (Earth)|upper mantle]], the [[lithosphere]], is divided into [[list of tectonic plates|tectonic plates]]. These plates are rigid segments that move relative to each other at one of three boundaries types: at [[convergent boundary|convergent boundaries]], two plates come together; at [[divergent boundary|divergent boundaries]], two plates are pulled apart; and at [[transform fault|transform boundaries]], two plates slide past one another laterally. Along these plate boundaries, earthquakes, [[Volcanism|volcanic activity]], [[Orogeny|mountain-building]], and [[oceanic trench]] formation can occur.<ref name="kious_tilling1999" /> The tectonic plates ride on top of the [[asthenosphere]], the solid but less-viscous part of the upper mantle that can flow and move along with the plates.<ref name="seligman2008" /> |
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==Community== |
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''Spore''{{'s}} user community functionality includes a feature that is part of an agreement with [[YouTube]] granting players the ability to upload a YouTube video of their creatures' activity directly from within the game, and EA's creation of "The ''Spore'' YouTube Channel", which will showcase the most popular videos created this way.<ref name="youtubeart">{{cite web | author = Eric Mauskopf | date = March 12, 2008 | url = http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/youtube-finds-its-way-into-spore.html | title = YouTube finds its way into ''Spore'' | publisher = [[YouTube]] | access-date = March 16, 2008 | archive-date = March 15, 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080315231303/http://googleblog.blogspot.com/2008/03/youtube-finds-its-way-into-spore.html | url-status = live }}</ref> In addition, some user-created content will be highlighted by Maxis at the official ''Spore'' site, and earn badges of recognition.<ref name="gamersg" /> One of ''Spore's'' most social features is the ''Sporecast'', an [[RSS]] feed that players can use to subscribe to the creations of any specific ''Spore'' player, allowing them to track their creations.<ref name="joystiqhandson">{{cite web|url=http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/01/joystiq-hands-on-spore-the-whole-thing/|title=Joystiq hands-on: ''Spore'' (the whole thing)|work=[[Joystiq]]|author=Christopher Grant|date=July 1, 2008|access-date=July 2, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080702182700/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/07/01/joystiq-hands-on-spore-the-whole-thing/|archive-date=July 2, 2008|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> There is a toggle which allows the player to restrict what downloadable content will be allowed; choices include: "no user generated content", "official Maxis-approved content", "downloadable friend content", and "all user-created content".<ref name="gamersg" /> Players can elect to ban content in-game, at any time, and Maxis monitors content for anything deemed inappropriate, issuing bans for infractions of content policy. |
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As the tectonic plates migrate, oceanic crust is [[Subduction|subducted]] under the leading edges of the plates at convergent boundaries. At the same time, the upwelling of mantle material at divergent boundaries creates mid-ocean ridges. The combination of these processes recycles the oceanic crust back into the mantle. Due to this recycling, most of the ocean floor is less than {{val|100|u=Myr}} old. The oldest oceanic crust is located in the Western Pacific and is estimated to be {{val|200|u=Myr}} old.<ref name=duennebier1999 /><ref name=noaa20070307 /> By comparison, the oldest dated continental crust is {{val|4030|u=Myr|fmt=commas}},<ref name=cmp134_3 /> although zircons have been found preserved as clasts within Eoarchean sedimentary rocks that give ages up to {{val|4400|u=Myr|fmt=commas}}, indicating that at least some continental crust existed at that time.<ref name=science310_5756_1947 /> |
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===Spore API=== |
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''Spore'' has also released an API (application programming interface) to allow developers to access data about player activity, the content they produce and their interactions with each other.<ref>{{cite web | title = ''Spore'' API | url = http://www.sporeapi.com/ | access-date = May 11, 2009 }}{{dead link|date=January 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> The ''Spore'' API is a collection of [[Representational State Transfer|REST]]ful public web services that return data in .XML format. In April 2009, the results of the ''Spore'' API Contest was concluded with winners building interactive visualizations, games, mobile applications and content navigation tools. The API also includes a Developers forum for people wishing to use all the creations people have made to create applications.<ref>{{cite web | title = ''Spore'' Developers Forum | url = http://sporedum.net/2009/01/18/spore-developers-corner/ | access-date = February 15, 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090119095107/http://sporedum.net/2009/01/18/spore-developers-corner/ | archive-date = January 19, 2009 | url-status = dead }}</ref> |
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The seven major plates are the [[Pacific Plate|Pacific]], [[North American Plate|North American]], [[Eurasian Plate|Eurasian]], [[African Plate|African]], [[Antarctic Plate|Antarctic]], [[Indo-Australian Plate|Indo-Australian]], and [[South American Plate|South American]]. Other notable plates include the [[Arabian Plate]], the [[Caribbean Plate]], the [[Nazca Plate]] off the west coast of South America and the [[Scotia Plate]] in the southern Atlantic Ocean. The Australian Plate fused with the Indian Plate between {{val|50|and|55|u=Ma}}. The fastest-moving plates are the oceanic plates, with the [[Cocos Plate]] advancing at a rate of {{convert|75|mm/year|in/year|abbr=on}}<ref name=podp2000 /> and the Pacific Plate moving {{convert|52|–|69|mm/year|in/year|abbr=on}}. At the other extreme, the slowest-moving plate is the South American Plate, progressing at a typical rate of {{convert|10.6|mm/year|in/year|abbr=on}}.<ref name="Argus_etal_2011">{{Cite journal |last1=Argus |first1=D.F. |last2=Gordon |first2=R.G. |last3=DeMets |first3=C. |date=2011 |title=Geologically current motion of 56 plates relative to the no-net-rotation reference frame |journal=Geochemistry, Geophysics, Geosystems |volume=12 |issue=11 |pages=n/a |doi=10.1029/2011GC003751 |bibcode=2011GGG....1211001A |doi-access=free}}</ref> |
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===Interplay=== |
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The game is referred to as a "massively [[single-player]] online game" and "asynchronous sharing."<ref name="Spore FAQ">[http://www.xspore.com/faq.html ''Spore'' FAQ] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080701055428/http://www.xspore.com/faq.html |date=July 1, 2008 }}, at official website.</ref><ref>{{cite web | title = Robin Williams Plays ''Spore'' | url = http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1734727723734486891 | access-date = September 15, 2006 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060730030805/http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=1734727723734486891 | archive-date = July 30, 2006 | df = mdy-all }}</ref> Simultaneous [[Multiplayer video game|multiplayer]] gaming is not a feature of ''Spore''. The content that the player can create is uploaded automatically to a central database, cataloged and rated for quality (based on how many users have downloaded the object or creature in question), and then re-distributed to populate other players' games.<ref name="google-video1">{{cite web| url=http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-262774490184348066&q=spore| title=Will Wright and Spore| format=video| work=Game Developers Conference| year=2005| publisher=Google Video| access-date=August 11, 2006| archive-date=July 15, 2006| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060715235311/http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-262774490184348066&q=spore| url-status=live}}</ref> The data transmitted is very small — only a couple of [[kilobyte]]s per item transmitted – due to [[Development of Spore#Procedural generation|procedural generation of material]]. |
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=== Internal structure === |
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Via the in-game "MySpore Page", players receive statistics of how their creatures are faring in other players' games, which has been referred to as the "[[Multiverse|alternate realities]] of the ''Spore'' [[metaverse]]." The game also reports how many other players have interacted with the player. For example, the game reports how many times other players have allied with the player's species. The personalities of user-created species are dependent on how the user played them.<ref>{{cite web |title=Will Wright and Brian Eno Long Now Foundation Speech |url=http://media.longnow.org/seminars/salt-0200606-wright-and-eno/salt-0200606-wright-and-eno.mp3 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070715165953/http://media.longnow.org/seminars/salt-0200606-wright-and-eno/salt-0200606-wright-and-eno.mp3 |archive-date=July 15, 2007 |access-date=July 23, 2007 |website=[[Long Now Foundation]]}}</ref> |
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{{Main|Internal structure of Earth}} |
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{| class="wikitable sortable" style="float: right; clear: right; margin-left: 2em; text-align:center;" |
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Players can share creations, chat, and roleplay in the Sporum, the game's [[internet forum]] hosted by Maxis.<ref>{{cite web|title=The Sporum|url=http://forum.spore.com/jforum/forums/list.page|access-date=March 28, 2012|archive-date=March 28, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120328070412/http://forum.spore.com/jforum/forums/list.page|url-status=live}}</ref> Multiple sections allow forum users to share creations and tips for the game, as well as roleplay. |
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|+Geologic layers of Earth<ref name=pnas76_9_4192>{{cite journal |last1=Jordan |first1=T. H. |title=Structural geology of the Earth's interior |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America |year=1979 |volume=76 |issue=9 |pages=4192–4200 |doi=10.1073/pnas.76.9.4192 |pmid=16592703 |pmc=411539 |bibcode=1979PNAS...76.4192J|doi-access=free }}</ref> |
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| colspan="3" style="font-size:smaller; text-align:center;background: white;color:black;" |[[File:Earth-cutaway-schematic-english.svg|center|frameless]]Illustration of Earth's cutaway, not to scale |
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|- |
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!Depth<span style="font-size: smaller;"><ref name=robertson2001>{{cite web |last1=Robertson |first1=Eugene C. |date=26 July 2001 |url=http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/interior/ |title=The Interior of the Earth |publisher=USGS |access-date=24 March 2007 |archive-date=28 August 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110828015257/http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/interior/ |url-status=live }}</ref><br />(km)</span> |
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! Component <br />layer name |
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!Density<br /><span style="font-size: smaller;">(g/cm<sup>3</sup>)</span> |
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|- |
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|0–60 |
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| style="text-align:left;" |[[Earth's lithosphere|Lithosphere]]<ref group="n">Locally varies between {{val|5|and|200|u=km}}.</ref> |
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|— |
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|- |
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|0–35 |
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| style="text-align:left;" |[[Earth's crust|Crust]]<ref group="n">Locally varies between {{val|5|and|70|u=km}}.</ref> |
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|2.2–2.9 |
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|- |
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|35–660 |
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| style="text-align:left;" |[[Upper mantle (Earth)|Upper mantle]] |
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|3.4–4.4 |
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|- |
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|660–2890 |
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| style="text-align:left;" |[[Lower mantle (Earth)|Lower mantle]] |
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|3.4–5.6 |
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|- |
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|100–700 |
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| style="text-align:left;" |[[Asthenosphere]] |
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|— |
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|- |
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|2890–5100 |
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| style="text-align:left;" |[[Earth's outer core|Outer core]] |
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|9.9–12.2 |
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|- |
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|5100–6378 |
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| style="text-align:left;" |[[Earth's inner core|Inner core]] |
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|12.8–13.1 |
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|} |
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Earth's interior, like that of the other terrestrial planets, is divided into layers by their [[chemical]] or physical ([[Rheology|rheological]]) properties. The outer layer is a chemically distinct [[Silicate minerals|silicate]] solid crust, which is underlain by a highly [[viscous]] solid mantle. The crust is separated from the mantle by the [[Mohorovičić discontinuity]].<ref name="GeolSoc" /> The thickness of the crust varies from about {{convert|6|km|mi}} under the oceans to {{convert|30|-|50|km|mi|abbr=on}} for the continents. The crust and the cold, rigid, top of the [[upper mantle]] are collectively known as the lithosphere, which is divided into independently moving tectonic plates.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/lithosphere/|title=Lithosphere|work=[[National Geographic]]|last1=Micalizio|first1=Caryl-Sue|last2=Evers|first2=Jeannie|date=20 May 2015|access-date=13 October 2020|archive-date=29 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220529052948/https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/lithosphere/|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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===Sporepedia=== |
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[[File:Spore timeline.jpg|right|thumb|''Sporepedia'' during a game]] |
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The ''Sporepedia'' keeps track of nearly every gameplay experience, including the evolution of a creature by graphically displaying a timeline which shows how the creature incrementally changed over the eons; it also keeps track of the creature's achievements, both noteworthy and dubious, as a species.<ref name="e308vid" /> The ''Sporepedia'' also keeps track of all the creatures, planets, vehicles and other content the player encounters over the course of a game. Players can upload their creations to Spore.com to be viewed by the public at the ''Sporepedia'' website. As of May 2009, the list of creations has surpassed 100 million items.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Cavalli |first=Earnest |title=Spore Universe Tops 100 Million Creations |language=en-US |magazine=Wired |url=https://www.wired.com/2009/05/spore-universe-tops-100-million-creations/ |access-date=2022-09-15 |issn=1059-1028 |archive-date=September 15, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220915174811/https://www.wired.com/2009/05/spore-universe-tops-100-million-creations/ |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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Beneath the lithosphere is the [[asthenosphere]], a relatively low-viscosity layer on which the lithosphere rides. Important changes in crystal structure within the mantle occur at {{convert|410|and|660|km|mi|abbr=on}} below the surface, spanning a [[Transition zone (Earth)|transition zone]] that separates the upper and lower mantle. Beneath the mantle, an extremely low viscosity liquid [[outer core]] lies above a solid [[Earth's inner core|inner core]].<ref name=tanimoto_ahrens1995 /> Earth's inner core may be rotating at a slightly higher [[angular velocity]] than the remainder of the planet, advancing by 0.1–0.5° per year, although both somewhat higher and much lower rates have also been proposed.<ref name="Deuss_2014" /> The radius of the inner core is about one-fifth of that of Earth. {{anchor|Density}}The density increases with depth. Among the Solar System's planetary-sized objects, Earth is the [[list of Solar System objects by size|object with the highest density]]. |
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==Development== |
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{{Main|Development of Spore}} |
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=== Chemical composition === |
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''Spore'' uses [[procedural generation]] extensively in relation to content pre-made by the developers. Wright mentioned in an interview given at E3 2006 that the information necessary to generate an entire creature would be only a couple of kilobytes, and went on to give the following analogy: "think of it as sharing the [[DNA]] template of a creature while the game, like a [[womb]], builds the '[[phenotype]]s' of the animal, which represent a few uploaded and downloaded freely and quickly from the ''Sporepedia'' online server. This allows users to asynchronously upload their creations and download other players' content, which enriches the experience of the game as more of its players progress in the game."{{cn|date=March 2024}} |
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{{Further|Abundance of the chemical elements#Earth}} |
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{{See also|Abundance of elements in Earth's crust}} |
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[[Earth mass|Earth's mass]] is approximately {{val|5.97|e=24|ul=kg}} ({{Value|5.970|fmt=commas|u=[[Yottagram|Yg]]}}). It is composed mostly of iron (32.1% [[Mass fraction (chemistry)|by mass]]), [[oxygen]] (30.1%), [[silicon]] (15.1%), [[magnesium]] (13.9%), [[sulfur]] (2.9%), [[nickel]] (1.8%), [[calcium]] (1.5%), and [[aluminium]] (1.4%), with the remaining 1.2% consisting of trace amounts of other elements. Due to [[Planetary differentiation#Gravitational separation|gravitational separation]], the core is primarily composed of the denser elements: iron (88.8%), with smaller amounts of nickel (5.8%), sulfur (4.5%), and less than 1% trace elements.<ref name="pnas71_12_6973" /><ref name="comp" /> The most common rock constituents of the crust are [[oxide]]s. Over 99% of the [[Earth's crust|crust]] is composed of various oxides of eleven elements, principally oxides containing silicon (the [[silicate mineral]]s), aluminium, iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, or sodium.<ref name="brown_mussett1981" /><ref name="pnas71_12_6973" /> |
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==Reception== |
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{{Video game reviews |
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=== Internal heat === |
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| GR = 84.40%<ref name="Spore-GR">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamerankings.com/htmlpages2/926714.asp|title=Spore (PC) Reviews – GameRankings|publisher=[[GameRankings]]|access-date=September 14, 2008|date=September 4, 2008|archive-date=December 10, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111210025630/http://www.gamerankings.com/pc/926714-spore/index.html|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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{{Main|Earth's internal heat budget}} |
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| MC = 84%<ref name="SporePCrev-MC">{{cite web|url=https://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/spore|title=Spore (PC) Reviews – Metacritic|website=[[Metacritic]]|date=September 9, 2008|access-date=September 9, 2008|archive-date=September 9, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080909042744/http://www.metacritic.com/games/platforms/pc/spore|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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[[File:Earth heat flow.jpg|upright=1.3|thumb|A map of [[heat flow]] from Earth's interior to the surface of Earth's crust, mostly along the [[oceanic ridge]]s]] |
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| 1UP = B+<ref name="1uprev" /> |
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The major heat-producing [[isotope]]s within Earth are [[potassium-40]], [[uranium-238]], and [[thorium-232]].<ref name=sanders20031210 /> At the center, the temperature may be up to {{convert|6000|C|F}},<ref>{{cite web |title=The Earth's Centre is 1000 Degrees Hotter than Previously Thought |url=http://www.esrf.eu/news/general/Earth-Center-Hotter |website=The European Synchrotron (ESRF) |access-date=12 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130628075455/http://www.esrf.eu/news/general/Earth-Center-Hotter/Earth-Centre-Hotter/ |archive-date=28 June 2013 |date=25 April 2013 |url-status=dead }}</ref> and the pressure could reach {{convert|360|GPa|e6psi|abbr=unit|lk=on}}.<ref name=ptrsl360_1795_1227 /> Because much of the heat is provided by radioactive decay, scientists postulate that early in Earth's history, before isotopes with short half-lives were depleted, Earth's heat production was much higher. At approximately {{val|3|ul=Gyr}}, twice the present-day heat would have been produced, increasing the rates of [[mantle convection]] and plate tectonics, and allowing the production of uncommon [[igneous rock]]s such as [[komatiite]]s that are rarely formed today.<ref name="T&S 137" /><ref name=epsl121_1 /> |
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| EuroG = 9/10<ref name="Sporepcrev-EuroGamer" /> |
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| GI = 8.75/10 |
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The mean heat loss from Earth is {{val|87|u=mW m<sup>−2</sup>}}, for a global heat loss of {{val|4.42|e=13|u=W}}.<ref name=jg31_3_267 /> A portion of the core's thermal energy is transported toward the crust by [[mantle plume]]s, a form of convection consisting of upwellings of higher-temperature rock. These plumes can produce [[Hotspot (geology)|hotspots]] and [[flood basalt]]s.<ref name=science246_4926_103 /> More of the heat in Earth is lost through plate tectonics, by mantle upwelling associated with [[mid-ocean ridge]]s. The final major mode of heat loss is through conduction through the lithosphere, the majority of which occurs under the oceans.<ref name="heat loss" /> |
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| GamePro = 4/5<ref name="Gameprorev">{{cite magazine|url=http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/207003/spore-you-can-be-a-winner-in-the-game-of-life/|title=GamePro ''Spore'' review|author=Andrew Dagley|page=1|magazine=[[GamePro]]|publisher=IDG Entertainment|date=September 4, 2008|access-date=September 4, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080905134323/http://www.gamepro.com/article/reviews/207003/spore-you-can-be-a-winner-in-the-game-of-life/|archive-date=September 5, 2008}}</ref> |
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| GSpot = 8.0/10<ref name="SporePCrev-GSpot"/> |
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=== Gravitational field === |
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| GSpy = 4.5/5<ref name="Sporepcrev-GameSpy"/> |
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{{Main|Gravity of Earth}} |
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| IGN = 9.2/10<ref name="ignrevus"/> |
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The gravity of Earth is the [[acceleration]] that is imparted to objects due to the distribution of mass within Earth. Near Earth's surface, [[gravitational acceleration]] is approximately {{convert|9.8|m/s2|abbr=on}}. Local differences in topography, geology, and deeper tectonic structure cause local and broad regional differences in Earth's gravitational field, known as [[Gravity anomaly|gravity anomalies]].<ref>{{cite journal |first1=A. B. |last1=Watts |first2=S. F. |last2=Daly |title=Long wavelength gravity and topography anomalies |journal=Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences |volume=9 |pages=415–418 |date=May 1981 |issue=1 |doi=10.1146/annurev.ea.09.050181.002215 |bibcode=1981AREPS...9..415W}}</ref> |
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| PCGUK = 91%<ref name="pcguk"/> |
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| PCGUS = 91%<ref name="pcgusrev"/> |
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=== Magnetic field === |
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| XPlay = 5/5<ref name="xplayrev">{{cite web|url=http://www.g4tv.com/xplay/reviews/1826/Spore.html|title=XPlay Reviews: Spore|publisher=[[G4 (U.S. TV channel)|G4]]|last=Manuel|first=Rob|access-date=November 9, 2008|archive-date=July 11, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110711063150/http://www.g4tv.com/games/pc/30029/spore/review/|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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{{Main|Earth's magnetic field}} |
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| rev1 = ''[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]'' |
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[[File:Magnetosphere Levels-en.svg|alt=Diagram showing the magnetic field lines of Earth's magnetosphere. The lines are swept back in the anti-solar direction under the influence of the solar wind.|thumb|A schematic view of Earth's magnetosphere with [[solar wind]] flowing from left to right]] |
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| rev1Score = 7/10<ref name="Wired review">{{cite magazine|url=http://blog.wired.com/games/2008/09/spore-review.html|title=Ten Things I Learned from ''Spore''|author=Chris Kohler|magazine=[[Wired (magazine)|Wired]]|date=September 7, 2008|access-date=September 7, 2008|archive-date=February 6, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120206181445/http://www.wired.com/gamelife/2008/09/spore-review/|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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The main part of Earth's magnetic field is generated in the core, the site of a [[Dynamo theory|dynamo]] process that converts the kinetic energy of thermally and compositionally driven convection into electrical and magnetic field energy. The field extends outwards from the core, through the mantle, and up to Earth's surface, where it is, approximately, a [[dipole]]. The poles of the dipole are located close to Earth's geographic poles. At the equator of the magnetic field, the magnetic-field strength at the surface is {{nowrap|3.05{{e|−5}} [[Tesla (unit)|T]]}}, with a [[magnetic dipole moment]] of {{nowrap|7.79{{e|22}} Am{{sup|2}}}} at epoch 2000, decreasing nearly 6% per century (although it still remains stronger than its long time average).<ref name="dipole">{{cite journal |last1=Olson |first1=Peter |last2=Amit |first2=Hagay |title=Changes in earth's dipole |url=https://pages.jh.edu/~polson1/pdfs/ChangesinEarthsDipole.pdf |journal=Naturwissenschaften |volume=93 |issue=11 |year=2006 |pages=519–542 |doi=10.1007/s00114-006-0138-6 |pmid=16915369 |bibcode=2006NW.....93..519O |s2cid=22283432 |access-date=6 July 2019 |archive-date=27 September 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190927110538/http://pages.jh.edu/~polson1/pdfs/ChangesinEarthsDipole.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> The convection movements in the core are chaotic; the magnetic poles drift and periodically change alignment. This causes [[Geomagnetic secular variation|secular variation]] of the main field and [[geomagnetic reversal|field reversals]] at irregular intervals averaging a few times every million years. The most recent reversal occurred approximately 700,000 years ago.<ref name="fitzpatrick2006" /><ref name="campbelwh" /> |
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| award1Pub = [[British Academy Video Games Awards|BAVGA]] |
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| award1 = Best Technical Achievement |
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The extent of Earth's magnetic field in space defines the [[magnetosphere]]. Ions and electrons of the solar wind are deflected by the magnetosphere; solar wind pressure compresses the day-side of the magnetosphere, to about 10 Earth radii, and extends the night-side magnetosphere into a long tail.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Ganushkina|first1=N. Yu|last2=Liemohn|first2=M. W.|last3=Dubyagin|first3=S.|date=2018|title=Current Systems in the Earth's Magnetosphere|url=https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1002/2017RG000590|journal=Reviews of Geophysics|language=en|volume=56|issue=2|pages=309–332|doi=10.1002/2017RG000590|bibcode=2018RvGeo..56..309G|hdl=2027.42/145256|s2cid=134666611|issn=1944-9208|hdl-access=free|access-date=24 October 2020|archive-date=31 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331100349/https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/2017RG000590|url-status=dead}}</ref> Because the velocity of the solar wind is greater than the speed at which waves propagate through the solar wind, a supersonic [[bow shock]] precedes the day-side magnetosphere within the solar wind.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://sci.esa.int/jump.cfm?oid=40994 |title=Cluster reveals the reformation of the Earth's bow shock |publisher=European Space Agency |first=Arnaud |last=Masson |date=11 May 2007 |access-date=16 August 2016 |archive-date=31 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331100440/https://sci.esa.int/web/cluster/-/40994-cluster-reveals-the-reformation-of-the-earth-s-bow-shock |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Charged particle]]s are contained within the magnetosphere; the plasmasphere is defined by low-energy particles that essentially follow magnetic field lines as Earth rotates.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://plasmasphere.nasa.gov/ |title=The Earth's Plasmasphere |publisher=NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center |last=Gallagher |first=Dennis L. |date=14 August 2015 |access-date=16 August 2016 |archive-date=28 August 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160828213813/http://plasmasphere.nasa.gov/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://plasmasphere.nasa.gov/formed.html |title=How the Plasmasphere is Formed |publisher=NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center |last=Gallagher |first=Dennis L. |date=27 May 2015 |access-date=16 August 2016 |archive-date=15 November 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161115064232/http://plasmasphere.nasa.gov/formed.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> The ring current is defined by medium-energy [[particle]]s that drift relative to the geomagnetic field, but with paths that are still dominated by the magnetic field,<ref name="BaumjohannTreumann1997">{{cite book |title=Basic Space Plasma Physics |publisher=World Scientific |first1=Wolfgang |last1=Baumjohann |first2=Rudolf A. |last2=Treumann |pages=8, 31 |year=1997 |isbn=978-1-86094-079-8}}</ref> and the [[Van Allen radiation belt]]s are formed by high-energy particles whose motion is essentially random, but contained in the magnetosphere.<ref name="Britannica">{{cite encyclopedia |url=https://www.britannica.com/science/ionosphere-and-magnetosphere/Magnetosphere |title=Ionosphere and magnetosphere |encyclopedia=Encyclopædia Britannica |publisher=Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. |first=Michael B. |last=McElroy |year=2012 |access-date=16 August 2016 |archive-date=3 July 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160703085345/https://www.britannica.com/science/ionosphere-and-magnetosphere/Magnetosphere |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Van Allen">{{cite book |title=Origins of Magnetospheric Physics |publisher=University of Iowa Press |last=Van Allen |first=James Alfred |date=2004 |isbn=978-0-87745-921-7 |oclc=646887856}}</ref> During [[magnetic storm]]s and [[substorm]]s, charged particles can be deflected from the outer magnetosphere and especially the magnetotail, directed along field lines into Earth's [[ionosphere]], where atmospheric atoms can be excited and ionized, causing an [[Aurora (astronomy)|aurora]].<ref name="stern2005" /> |
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== Orbit and rotation == |
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=== Rotation === |
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{{Main|Earth's rotation}} |
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[[File:EpicEarth-Globespin-tilt-23.4.gif|thumb|upright=1.3|Satellite [[Time-lapse photography|time lapse imagery]] of Earth's rotation showing axis tilt]] |
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Earth's rotation period relative to the Sun—its mean solar day—is {{nowrap|86,400 seconds}} of mean solar time ({{nowrap|86,400.0025 [[SI]] seconds}}).<ref name="aj136_5_1906" /> Because Earth's solar day is now slightly longer than it was during the 19th century due to [[tidal acceleration|tidal deceleration]], each day varies between {{nowrap|0 and 2 [[millisecond|ms]]}} longer than the mean solar day.<ref name="USNO_TSD" /><ref>{{cite journal |title=Rapid Service/Prediction of Earth Orientation |journal=IERS Bulletin-A |date=9 April 2015 |volume=28 |issue=15 |url=http://maia.usno.navy.mil/ser7/ser7.dat |access-date=12 April 2015 |format=.DAT file (displays as plaintext in browser) |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150314182157/http://maia.usno.navy.mil/ser7/ser7.dat |archive-date=14 March 2015 |url-status=dead }}</ref> |
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Earth's rotation period relative to the [[fixed star]]s, called its ''stellar day'' by the [[International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service]] (IERS), is {{nowrap|86,164.0989 seconds}} of mean solar time ([[UT1]]), or {{nowrap |23{{smallsup|h}} 56{{smallsup|m}} 4.0989{{smallsup|s}}.}}<ref name="IERS" /><ref group="n" name="Aoki" /> Earth's rotation period relative to the [[precession (astronomy)|precessing]] or moving mean [[March equinox]] (when the Sun is at 90° on the equator)<!-- , misnamed its ''[[sidereal day]]'' [don't know what is this] -->, is {{nowrap|86,164.0905 seconds}} of mean solar time (UT1) {{nowrap|(23{{smallsup|h}} 56{{smallsup|m}} 4.0905{{smallsup|s}})}}.<ref name="IERS" /> Thus the sidereal day is shorter than the stellar day by about 8.4 ms.<ref name="seidelmann1992" /> |
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Apart from meteors within the atmosphere and low-orbiting satellites, the main apparent motion of celestial bodies in Earth's sky is to the west at a rate of 15°/h = 15'/min. For bodies near the [[celestial equator]], this is equivalent to an apparent diameter of the Sun or the Moon every two minutes; from Earth's surface, the apparent sizes of the Sun and the Moon are approximately the same.<ref name="zeilik1998" /><ref name="angular" /> |
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=== Orbit === |
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{{Main|Earth's orbit|Earth's location}} |
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[[File:Seasons1.svg|thumb|upright=1.3|Exaggerated illustration of Earth's elliptical orbit around the Sun, marking that the orbital extreme points ([[apoapsis]] and [[periapsis]]) are not the same as the four seasonal extreme points, the [[equinox]] and [[solstice]]]] |
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Earth orbits the Sun, making Earth the third-closest planet to the Sun and part of the [[inner Solar System]]. Earth's average orbital distance is about {{convert|150|e6km|e6mi|abbr=unit}}, which is the basis for the [[Astronomical Unit|astronomical unit]] (AU) and is equal to roughly 8.3 [[light minute]]s or 380 times [[Lunar distance (astronomy)|Earth's distance to the Moon]]. Earth orbits the Sun every 365.2564 mean [[solar day]]s, or one [[sidereal year]]. With an apparent movement of the Sun in Earth's sky at a rate of about 1°/day eastward, which is one apparent Sun or Moon diameter every 12 hours. Due to this motion, on average it takes 24 hours—a solar day—for Earth to complete a full rotation about its axis so that the Sun returns to the [[Meridian (astronomy)|meridian]]. |
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The orbital speed of Earth averages about {{convert|29.78|km/s|km/h mph|abbr=on}}, which is fast enough to travel a distance equal to Earth's diameter, about {{convert|12742|km|mi|abbr=on}}, in seven minutes, and the distance from Earth to the Moon, {{convert|384400|km|mi|abbr=on}}, in about 3.5 hours.<ref name="earth_fact_sheet" /> |
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The Moon and Earth orbit a common [[barycenter]] every 27.32 days relative to the background stars. When combined with the Earth–Moon system's common orbit around the Sun, the period of the [[synodic month]], from new moon to new moon, is 29.53 days. Viewed from the [[celestial pole|celestial north pole]], the motion of Earth, the Moon, and their axial rotations are all [[counterclockwise]]. Viewed from a vantage point above the Sun and Earth's north poles, Earth orbits in a counterclockwise direction about the Sun. The orbital and axial planes are not precisely aligned: Earth's [[axial tilt|axis is tilted]] some 23.44 degrees from the perpendicular to the Earth–Sun plane (the [[ecliptic]]), and the Earth-Moon plane is tilted up to ±5.1 degrees against the Earth–Sun plane. Without this tilt, there would be an eclipse every two weeks, alternating between [[lunar eclipse]]s and [[solar eclipse]]s.<ref name="earth_fact_sheet" /><ref name="moon_fact_sheet" /> |
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The [[Hill sphere]], or the [[Sphere of influence (astrodynamics)|sphere of gravitational influence]], of Earth is about {{convert|1.5|e6km|mi|abbr=unit}} in radius.<ref name="vazquez_etal2006" /><ref group="n" name="hill_radius" /> This is the maximum distance at which Earth's gravitational influence is stronger than that of the more distant Sun and planets. Objects must orbit Earth within this radius, or they can become unbound by the gravitational perturbation of the Sun.<ref name="vazquez_etal2006" /> Earth, along with the Solar System, is situated in the [[Milky Way]] and orbits about 28,000 [[light-year]]s from its center. It is about 20 light-years above the [[galactic plane]] in the [[Orion Arm]].<ref name="nasa20051201" /> |
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=== Axial tilt and seasons === |
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{{Main|Axial tilt#Earth}} |
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[[File:axial tilt vs tropical and polar circles.svg|thumb|upright=1.3|Earth's axial tilt causing different angles of seasonal illumination at different orbital positions around the Sun]] |
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The axial tilt of Earth is approximately 23.439281°<ref name="IERS" /> with the axis of its orbit plane, always pointing towards the [[Celestial Poles]]. Due to Earth's axial tilt, the amount of sunlight reaching any given point on the surface varies over the course of the year. This causes the seasonal change in climate, with summer in the [[Northern Hemisphere]] occurring when the [[Tropic of Cancer]] is facing the Sun, and in the [[Southern Hemisphere]] when the [[Tropic of Capricorn]] faces the Sun. In each instance, winter occurs simultaneously in the opposite hemisphere. |
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During the summer, the day lasts longer, and the Sun climbs higher in the sky. In winter, the climate becomes cooler and the days shorter.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Rohli|first1=Robert. V.|title=Climatology|last2=Vega|first2=Anthony J.|publisher=Jones & Bartlett Learning|year=2018|isbn=978-1-284-12656-3|edition=fourth|pages=291–292}}</ref> Above the [[Arctic Circle]] and below the [[Antarctic Circle]] there is no daylight at all for part of the year, causing a [[polar night]], and this night extends for several months at the poles themselves. These same latitudes also experience a [[midnight sun]], where the sun remains visible all day.<ref>{{cite book|last=Burn|first=Chris|title=The Polar Night|url=http://nwtresearch.com/sites/default/files/the-polar-night.pdf|publisher=The Aurora Research Institute|date=March 1996|access-date=28 September 2015|archive-date=6 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230806150129/https://nwtresearch.com/sites/default/files/the-polar-night.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/weather-and-climate/weather/sunlight-hours/|title=Sunlight Hours|work=Australian Antarctic Programme|date=24 June 2020|access-date=13 October 2020|archive-date=22 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201022025038/https://www.antarctica.gov.au/about-antarctica/weather-and-climate/weather/sunlight-hours/|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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By astronomical convention, the four seasons can be determined by the solstices—the points in the orbit of maximum axial tilt toward or away from the Sun—and the [[equinox]]es, when Earth's rotational axis is aligned with its orbital axis. In the Northern Hemisphere, [[winter solstice]] currently occurs around 21 December; [[summer solstice]] is near 21 June, spring equinox is around 20 March and [[September equinox|autumnal equinox]] is about 22 or 23 September. In the Southern Hemisphere, the situation is reversed, with the summer and winter solstices exchanged and the spring and autumnal equinox dates swapped.<ref name="bromberg2008" /> |
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The angle of Earth's axial tilt is relatively stable over long periods of time. Its axial tilt does undergo [[nutation]]; a slight, irregular motion with a main period of 18.6 years.<ref name="lin2006" /> The orientation (rather than the angle) of Earth's axis also changes over time, [[axial precession|precessing]] around in a complete circle over each 25,800-year cycle; this precession is the reason for the difference between a sidereal year and a [[tropical year]]. Both of these motions are caused by the varying attraction of the Sun and the Moon on Earth's equatorial bulge. The poles also migrate a few meters across Earth's surface. This [[polar motion]] has multiple, cyclical components, which collectively are termed [[quasiperiodic motion]]. In addition to an annual component to this motion, there is a 14-month cycle called the [[Chandler wobble]]. Earth's rotational velocity also varies in a phenomenon known as length-of-day variation.<ref name="fisher19960205" /> |
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Earth's annual orbit is elliptical rather than circular, and its closest approach to the Sun is called [[perihelion]]. In modern times, Earth's perihelion occurs around 3 January, and its [[aphelion]] around 4 July. These dates shift over time due to precession and changes to the orbit, the latter of which follows cyclical patterns known as [[Milankovitch cycles]]. The annual change in the Earth–Sun distance causes an increase of about 6.8% in solar energy reaching Earth at perihelion relative to aphelion.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2948/milankovitch-orbital-cycles-and-their-role-in-earths-climate/|title=Milankovitch (Orbital) Cycles and Their Role in Earth's Climate|work=NASA|last1=Buis|first1=Alan|date=27 February 2020|access-date=27 October 2020|archive-date=30 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030105553/https://climate.nasa.gov/news/2948/milankovitch-orbital-cycles-and-their-role-in-earths-climate/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref group="n" name="solar_energy" /> Because the Southern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun at about the same time that Earth reaches the closest approach to the Sun, the Southern Hemisphere receives slightly more energy from the Sun than does the northern over the course of a year. This effect is much less significant than the total energy change due to the axial tilt, and most of the excess energy is absorbed by the higher proportion of water in the Southern Hemisphere.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ocp.ldeo.columbia.edu/res/div/ocp/pub/seager/Kang_Seager_subm.pdf|title=Croll Revisited: Why is the Northern Hemisphere Warmer than the Southern Hemisphere?|work=Columbia University|last1=Kang|first1=Sarah M.|last2=Seager|first2=Richard|location=New York|access-date=27 October 2020|archive-date=7 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210907195739/http://ocp.ldeo.columbia.edu/res/div/ocp/pub/seager/Kang_Seager_subm.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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== Earth–Moon system == |
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{{Further||Satellite system (astronomy)}} |
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=== Moon === |
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{{Main|Moon|Lunar theory|Orbit of the Moon}} |
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[[File:MarsReconnaissanceOrbiter-Views-EarthMoon-20220422.jpg|thumb|Earth and the Moon as seen from [[Mars]] by the ''[[Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter]]'']] |
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The Moon is a relatively large, [[Terrestrial planet|terrestrial]], [[Planetary-mass moon|planet-like natural satellite]], with a diameter about one-quarter of Earth's. It is the largest moon in the Solar System relative to the size of its planet, although [[Charon (moon)|Charon]] is larger relative to the [[dwarf planet]] [[Pluto]].<ref>{{cite web|url=https://astronomy.com/news/2019/06/whats-so-special-about-our-moon-anyway|title=What's so special about our Moon, anyway?|work=[[Astronomy (magazine)|Astronomy]]|last1=Klemetti|first1=Erik|date=17 June 2019|access-date=13 October 2020|archive-date=6 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106063032/https://astronomy.com/news/2019/06/whats-so-special-about-our-moon-anyway|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/moons/pluto-moons/charon/in-depth/#:~:text=At%20half%20the%20size%20of,phenomenon%20called%20mutual%20tidal%20locking.|title=Charon|website=NASA|date=19 December 2019|access-date=13 October 2020|archive-date=14 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201014164907/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/moons/pluto-moons/charon/in-depth/#:~:text=At%20half%20the%20size%20of,phenomenon%20called%20mutual%20tidal%20locking.|url-status=live}}</ref> The natural satellites of other planets are also referred to as "moons", after Earth's.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-why-is-the-moon-called-the-moon-127899|title=Curious Kids: Why is the moon called the moon?|website=The Conversation|last1=Brown|first1=Toby|date=2 December 2019|access-date=13 October 2020|archive-date=8 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201108044000/https://theconversation.com/curious-kids-why-is-the-moon-called-the-moon-127899|url-status=live}}</ref> The most widely accepted theory of the Moon's origin, the [[giant-impact hypothesis]], states that it formed from the collision of a Mars-size protoplanet called Theia with the early Earth. This hypothesis explains the Moon's relative lack of iron and volatile elements and the fact that its composition is nearly identical to that of Earth's crust.<ref name="canup_asphaug2001b" /> Computer simulations suggest that two blob-like remnants of this protoplanet could be inside the Earth.<ref name="NYT-20231101">{{cite news |last=Chang |first=Kenneth |title=A 'Big Whack' Formed the Moon and Left Traces Deep in Earth, a Study Suggests - Two enormous blobs deep inside Earth could be remnants of the birth of the moon. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/01/science/moon-formation-theia.html |date=1 November 2023 |work=[[The New York Times]] |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20231101232849/https://www.nytimes.com/2023/11/01/science/moon-formation-theia.html |archivedate=1 November 2023 |accessdate=2 November 2023 }}</ref><ref name="NAT-20231101">{{cite journal |author=Yuan, Qian |display-authors=et al.|title=Moon-forming impactor as a source of Earth's basal mantle anomalies |url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06589-1 |date=1 November 2023 |journal=[[Nature (journal)|Nature]] |volume=623 |issue=7985 |pages=95–99 |doi=10.1038/s41586-023-06589-1 |pmid=37914947 |bibcode=2023Natur.623...95Y |s2cid=264869152 |url-status=live |archiveurl=https://archive.today/20231102061800/https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06589-1 |archivedate=2 November 2023 |accessdate=2 November 2023 }}</ref> |
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The gravitational attraction between Earth and the Moon causes [[lunar tide]]s on Earth.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Coughenour|first1=Christopher L.|last2=Archer|first2=Allen W.|last3=Lacovara|first3=Kenneth J.|author-link3=Kenneth Lacovara|date=2009|title=Tides, tidalites, and secular changes in the Earth–Moon system|url=http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012825209001445|journal=Earth-Science Reviews|language=en|volume=97|issue=1|pages=59–79|doi=10.1016/j.earscirev.2009.09.002|bibcode=2009ESRv...97...59C|issn=0012-8252|access-date=8 October 2020|archive-date=28 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121028000947/http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012825209001445|url-status=live}}</ref> The same effect on the Moon has led to its [[tidal locking]]: its rotation period is the same as the time it takes to orbit Earth. As a result, it always presents the same face to the planet.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Kelley|first=Peter|date=17 August 2017|title=Tidally locked exoplanets may be more common than previously thought|url=https://www.washington.edu/news/2017/08/14/tidally-locked-exoplanets-may-be-more-common-than-previously-thought/|access-date=8 October 2020|newspaper=Uw News|language=en|archive-date=9 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201009192401/https://www.washington.edu/news/2017/08/14/tidally-locked-exoplanets-may-be-more-common-than-previously-thought/|url-status=live}}</ref> As the Moon orbits Earth, different parts of its face are illuminated by the Sun, leading to the [[lunar phase]]s.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Lunar Phases and Eclipses {{!}} Earth's Moon|url=https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/moons/earths-moon/lunar-phases-and-eclipses|access-date=8 October 2020|website=NASA Solar System Exploration|archive-date=16 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201016180007/https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/moons/earths-moon/lunar-phases-and-eclipses/|url-status=live}}</ref> Due to their [[Tidal interactions|tidal interaction]], the Moon recedes from Earth at the rate of approximately {{convert|38|mm/yr|in/yr|abbr=on}}. Over millions of years, these tiny modifications—and the lengthening of Earth's day by about 23 [[Microsecond|μs]]/yr—add up to significant changes.<ref name="espenak_meeus20070207" /> During the [[Ediacaran]] period, for example, (approximately {{val|620|u=Ma}}) there were 400±7 days in a year, with each day lasting 21.9±0.4 hours.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Williams |first=G.E. |date=2000 |title=Geological constraints on the Precambrian history of Earth's rotation and the Moon's orbit |journal=Reviews of Geophysics |volume=38 |issue=1 |pages=37–59 |doi=10.1029/1999RG900016 |bibcode=2000RvGeo..38...37W |s2cid=51948507|doi-access=free }}</ref> |
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The Moon may have dramatically affected the development of life by moderating the planet's climate. [[Paleontology|Paleontological]] evidence and computer simulations show that Earth's axial tilt is stabilized by tidal interactions with the Moon.<ref name="aaa428_261" /> Some theorists think that without this stabilization against the [[torque]]s applied by the Sun and planets to Earth's equatorial bulge, the rotational axis might be chaotically unstable, exhibiting large changes over millions of years, as is the case for Mars, though this is disputed.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://phys.org/news/2015-01-earth-moon-critical-life.html#:~:text=Lissauer's%20team%20found%20that%20without,day%20angle%20of%2023.5%20degrees.|title=Earth's moon may not be critical to life|work=[[Phys.org]]|last1=Cooper|first1=Keith|date=27 January 2015|access-date=26 October 2020|archive-date=30 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201030120857/https://phys.org/news/2015-01-earth-moon-critical-life.html#:~:text=Lissauer's%20team%20found%20that%20without,day%20angle%20of%2023.5%20degrees.|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=http://web.mit.edu/perron/www/files/Daradich08.pdf|title=Equilibrium rotational stability and figure of Mars|journal=Icarus|last1=Dadarich|first1=Amy|first2=Jerry X.|last2=Mitrovica|author-link2=Jerry X. Mitrovica|first3=Isamu|last3=Matsuyama|first4=J. Taylor|last4=Perron|first5=Michael|last5=Manga|author-link5=Michael Manga|first6=Mark A.|last6=Richards|date=22 November 2007|volume=194|issue=2|pages=463–475|access-date=26 October 2020|doi=10.1016/j.icarus.2007.10.017|archive-date=1 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201201094104/http://web.mit.edu/perron/www/files/Daradich08.pdf|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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Viewed from Earth, the Moon is just far enough away to have almost the same apparent-sized disk as the Sun. The [[angular size]] (or [[solid angle]]) of these two bodies match because, although the Sun's diameter is about 400 times as large as the Moon's, it is also 400 times more distant.<ref name="angular" /> This allows total and annular solar eclipses to occur on Earth.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/life-unbounded/the-solar-eclipse-coincidence/|title=The Solar Eclipse Coincidence|work=[[Scientific American]]|last1=Sharf|first1=Caleb A.|date=18 May 2012|access-date=13 October 2020|author1-link=Caleb Scharf|archive-date=15 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201015083529/https://blogs.scientificamerican.com/life-unbounded/the-solar-eclipse-coincidence/|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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=== Asteroids and artificial satellites === |
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{{Main|Near-Earth object|Claimed moons of Earth}} |
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[[File:Debris-GEO1280.jpg|thumb|A computer-generated image mapping the prevalence of [[artificial satellite]]s and [[space debris]] around Earth in [[geosynchronous orbit|geosynchronous]] and [[low Earth orbit]]]] |
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Earth's [[Co-orbital configuration|co-orbital asteroids]] population consists of [[quasi-satellite]]s: objects with a [[horseshoe orbit]] and [[Trojan (celestial body)|trojans]]. There are at least five quasi-satellites, including [[469219 Kamoʻoalewa]].<ref name="christou_asher2011" /><ref>{{cite journal|url=https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/462/4/3441/2589984|title=Asteroid (469219) 2016 HO3, the smallest and closest Earth quasi-satellite|journal=Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society|last1=Marcos|first1=C. de la Fuente|last2=Marcos|first2=R. de la Fuente|date=8 August 2016|doi=10.1093/mnras/stw1972|pages=3441–3456|volume=462|issue=4|doi-access=free |arxiv=1608.01518|bibcode=2016MNRAS.462.3441D|s2cid=118580771|access-date=28 October 2020|archive-date=31 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201031044749/https://academic.oup.com/mnras/article/462/4/3441/2589984|url-status=live}}</ref> A [[Earth trojan|trojan asteroid]] companion, {{mpl|2010 TK|7}}, is [[Libration|librating]] around the leading [[Lagrangian point|Lagrange triangular point]], L4, in [[Earth's orbit]] around the Sun.<ref name="Choi" /> The tiny [[near-Earth asteroid]] {{mpl|2006 RH|120}} makes close approaches to the Earth–Moon system roughly every twenty years. During these approaches, it can orbit Earth for brief periods of time.<ref>{{cite web |title=2006 RH120 ( = 6R10DB9) (A second moon for the Earth?) |url=http://www.birtwhistle.org/Gallery6R10DB9.htm |website=Great Shefford Observatory|access-date=17 July 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150206154817/http://www.birtwhistle.org/Gallery6R10DB9.htm |archive-date=6 February 2015}}</ref> |
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{{As of|2021|9}}, there are 4,550 operational, human-made [[satellite]]s orbiting Earth.<ref name="ucs" /> There are also inoperative satellites, including [[Vanguard 1]], the oldest satellite currently in orbit, and over 16,000 pieces of tracked [[space debris]].<ref group="n" name="space_debris" /> Earth's largest artificial satellite is the [[International Space Station]] (ISS).<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Welch|first1=Rosanne|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aWGHDwAAQBAJ&q=largest+artificial+satellite&pg=RA2-PA126|title=Technical Innovation in American History: An Encyclopedia of Science and Technology [3 volumes]|last2=Lamphier|first2=Peg A.|year=2019|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=978-1-61069-094-2|page=126|language=en|access-date=9 August 2023|archive-date=10 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230810224725/https://books.google.com/books?id=aWGHDwAAQBAJ&q=largest+artificial+satellite&pg=RA2-PA126|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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== Hydrosphere == |
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{{Main|Hydrosphere}} |
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[[File:Ocean world Earth.jpg|thumb|A view of Earth with its [[global ocean]] and [[cloud cover]], which dominate Earth's surface and [[hydrosphere]]; at Earth's [[Polar regions of Earth|polar]] regions, its hydrosphere forms larger areas of ice cover.]] |
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Earth's hydrosphere is the sum of Earth's water and its distribution. Most of Earth's hydrosphere consists of Earth's global ocean. Earth's hydrosphere also consists of water in the atmosphere and on land, including clouds, inland seas, lakes, rivers, and underground waters. The mass of the oceans is approximately 1.35{{e|18}} [[metric ton]]s or about 1/4400 of Earth's total mass. The oceans cover an area of {{convert|361.8|e6km2|e6mi2|abbr=unit}} with a mean depth of {{convert|3682|m|ft|abbr=on}}, resulting in an estimated volume of {{convert|1.332|e9km3|e6cumi|abbr=unit}}.<ref name="ocean23_2_112" /> |
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If all of Earth's crustal surface were at the same elevation as a smooth sphere, the depth of the resulting world ocean would be {{convert|2.7|to|2.8|km|mi|2|abbr=on}}.<ref>{{cite web|title=Third rock from the Sun – restless Earth|url=https://ase.tufts.edu/cosmos/print_chapter.asp?id=4|access-date=12 April 2015|work=NASA's Cosmos|archive-date=6 November 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151106230149/http://ase.tufts.edu/cosmos/print_chapter.asp?id=4|url-status=live}}</ref> About 97.5% of the water is [[saline water|saline]]; the remaining 2.5% is [[fresh water]].<ref>{{Cite book|title=On Water|url=https://www.eib.org/en/publications/eib-big-ideas-on-water|access-date=7 December 2020|year=2019|doi=10.2867/509830|language=en|author1=European Investment Bank|publisher=Publications Office|isbn=9789286143199|archive-date=29 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201129051604/https://www.eib.org/en/publications/eib-big-ideas-on-water|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|title=Chart: Globally, 70% of Freshwater is Used for Agriculture|url=https://blogs.worldbank.org/opendata/chart-globally-70-freshwater-used-agriculture|access-date=7 December 2020|website=World Bank Blogs|date=22 March 2017|last1=Khokhar|first1=Tariq|language=en|archive-date=6 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201206080843/https://blogs.worldbank.org/opendata/chart-globally-70-freshwater-used-agriculture|url-status=live}}</ref> Most fresh water, about 68.7%, is present as ice in [[ice cap]]s and [[glacier]]s.<ref>{{cite web|last=Perlman|first=Howard|date=17 March 2014|title=The World's Water|url=https://water.usgs.gov/edu/earthwherewater.html|access-date=12 April 2015|work=USGS Water-Science School|archive-date=22 April 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150422113320/http://water.usgs.gov/edu/earthwherewater.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The remaining 30% is [[ground water]], 1% [[surface water]] (covering only 2.8% of Earth's land)<ref name="Lake Scientist 2016">{{cite web | title=Where Are Lakes? | website=Lake Scientist | date=28 February 2016 | url=https://www.lakescientist.com/where-are-lakes/ | access-date=28 February 2023 | archive-date=28 February 2023 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230228013824/https://www.lakescientist.com/where-are-lakes/ | url-status=live }}</ref> and other small forms of fresh water deposits such as [[permafrost]], [[water vapor]] in the atmosphere, biological binding, etc.<ref name="School 2019">{{cite web | last=School | first=Water Science | title=How Much Water is There on Earth? – U.S. Geological Survey | website=USGS.gov | date=13 November 2019 | url=https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/how-much-water-there-earth#science | access-date=3 March 2023 | archive-date=9 June 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220609050627/https://www.usgs.gov/special-topics/water-science-school/science/how-much-water-there-earth#science | url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="Education 2022">{{cite web | title=Freshwater Resources | website=Education | date=18 August 2022 | url=https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/freshwater-resources/ | access-date=28 February 2023 | archive-date=26 May 2022 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220526195118/https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/freshwater-resources | url-status=live }}</ref> |
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In Earth's coldest regions, snow survives over the summer and [[Ice formation|changes into ice]]. This accumulated snow and ice eventually forms into [[glacier]]s, bodies of ice that flow under the influence of their own gravity. [[Alpine glaciers]] form in mountainous areas, whereas vast [[ice sheets]] form over land in polar regions. The flow of glaciers erodes the surface, changing it dramatically, with the formation of [[U-shaped valley]]s and other landforms.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hendrix|first=Mark|title=Earth Science: An Introduction|publisher=Cengage|year=2019|isbn=978-0-357-11656-2|location=Boston|page=330}}</ref> [[Sea ice]] in the Arctic covers an area about as big as the United States, although it is quickly retreating as a consequence of climate change.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Hendrix|first=Mark|title=Earth Science: An Introduction |publisher=Cengage |year=2019 |isbn=978-0-357-11656-2|location=Boston|page=329}}</ref> |
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The average [[salinity]] of Earth's oceans is about 35 grams of salt per kilogram of seawater (3.5% salt).<ref name=kennish2001 /> Most of this salt was released from volcanic activity or extracted from cool igneous rocks.<ref name="mullen2002" /> The oceans are also a reservoir of dissolved atmospheric gases, which are essential for the survival of many aquatic life forms.<ref name="natsci_oxy4" /> Sea water has an important influence on the world's climate, with the oceans acting as a large [[heat reservoir]].<ref name="michon2006" /> Shifts in the oceanic temperature distribution can cause significant weather shifts, such as the [[El Niño–Southern Oscillation]].<ref name="sample2005" /> |
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The abundance of water, particularly liquid water, on Earth's surface is a unique feature that distinguishes it from other planets in the [[Solar System]]. Solar System planets with considerable atmospheres do partly host atmospheric water vapor, but they lack surface conditions for stable surface water.<ref name="Center 2021">{{cite web |last=Center |first=Astrogeology Science |title=Tour of Water in the Solar System – U.S. Geological Survey |website=USGS.gov |date=14 October 2021 |url=https://www.usgs.gov/news/tour-water-solar-system |access-date=19 January 2022 |archive-date=19 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220119211912/https://www.usgs.gov/news/tour-water-solar-system |url-status=live }}</ref> Despite some [[Natural satellite|moons]] showing signs of large reservoirs of [[extraterrestrial liquid water]], with possibly even more volume than Earth's ocean, all of them are [[List of largest lakes and seas in the Solar System|large bodies of water]] under a kilometers thick frozen surface layer.<ref>{{cite web |title=Are there oceans on other planets? |website=NOAA's National Ocean Service |date=1 June 2013 |url=https://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/et-oceans.html |access-date=19 January 2022 |archive-date=19 June 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170619132905/http://oceanservice.noaa.gov/facts/et-oceans.html |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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== Atmosphere == |
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{{Main|Atmosphere of Earth}} |
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[[File:ISS-42 Waning sun.jpg|thumb|A view of Earth with different layers of its atmosphere visible: the [[troposphere]] with its clouds casting shadows, a band of [[stratospheric]] blue sky at the horizon, and a line of green [[airglow]] of the lower [[thermosphere]] around an [[Kármán line|altitude of 100 km, at the edge of space]]]] |
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The [[atmospheric pressure]] at Earth's sea level averages {{convert|101.325|kPa|psi|3|abbr=on}},<ref name="Exline2006">{{cite book|last1=Exline|first1=Joseph D.|url=https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/288978main_Meteorology_Guide.pdf|title=Meteorology: An Educator's Resource for Inquiry-Based Learning for Grades 5–9|last2=Levine|first2=Arlene S.|last3=Levine|first3=Joel S.|date=2006|publisher=NASA/Langley Research Center|page=6|id=NP-2006-08-97-LaRC|access-date=28 July 2018|archive-date=28 May 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180528181043/https://www.nasa.gov/pdf/288978main_Meteorology_Guide.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> with a [[scale height]] of about {{convert|8.5|km|mi|abbr=on}}.<ref name="earth_fact_sheet" /> A dry atmosphere is composed of 78.084% [[nitrogen]], 20.946% oxygen, 0.934% [[argon]], and trace amounts of carbon dioxide and other gaseous molecules.<ref name="Exline2006" /> [[Water vapor]] content varies between 0.01% and 4%<ref name="Exline2006" /> but averages about 1%.<ref name="earth_fact_sheet" /> [[Cloud cover|Clouds cover]] around two-thirds of Earth's surface, more so over oceans than land.<ref name="King Platnick Menzel Ackerman 2013 pp. 3826–3852">{{cite journal |last1=King |first1=Michael D. |last2=Platnick |first2=Steven |last3=Menzel |first3=W. Paul |last4=Ackerman |first4=Steven A. |last5=Hubanks |first5=Paul A. |title=Spatial and Temporal Distribution of Clouds Observed by MODIS Onboard the Terra and Aqua Satellites |journal=IEEE Transactions on Geoscience and Remote Sensing |publisher=Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) |volume=51 |issue=7 |year=2013 |issn=0196-2892 |doi=10.1109/tgrs.2012.2227333 |pages=3826–3852|bibcode=2013ITGRS..51.3826K |s2cid=206691291 |doi-access=free |hdl=2060/20120010368 |hdl-access=free }}</ref> The height of the [[troposphere]] varies with latitude, ranging between {{convert|8|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} at the poles to {{convert|17|km|mi|0|abbr=on}} at the equator, with some variation resulting from weather and seasonal factors.<ref name="geerts_linacre97" /> |
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Earth's [[biosphere]] has significantly altered its [[Atmosphere of Earth|atmosphere]]. [[Oxygen evolution#Oxygen evolution in nature|Oxygenic photosynthesis]] evolved {{val|2.7|u=Gya}}, [[oxygen catastrophe|forming]] the primarily nitrogen–oxygen atmosphere of today.<ref name="NYT-20131003" /> This change enabled the proliferation of [[aerobic organisms]] and, indirectly, the formation of the ozone layer due to the subsequent [[Ozone–oxygen cycle|conversion of atmospheric {{chem2|O2}} into {{chem2|O3}}]]. The ozone layer blocks [[ultraviolet]] [[solar radiation]], permitting life on land.<ref name="Harrison 2002" /> Other atmospheric functions important to life include transporting water vapor, providing useful gases, causing small meteors to burn up before they strike the surface, and moderating temperature.<ref name="atmosphere" /> This last phenomenon is the [[greenhouse effect]]: trace molecules within the atmosphere serve to capture [[thermal energy]] emitted from the surface, thereby raising the average temperature. Water vapor, carbon dioxide, [[methane]], [[nitrous oxide]], and [[ozone]] are the primary greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Without this heat-retention effect, the average surface temperature would be {{convert|-18|C|F}}, in contrast to the current {{convert|+15|C|F}},<ref name="Pidwirny2006_7" /> and life on Earth probably would not exist in its current form.<ref name="Narottam2008" /> |
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=== Weather and climate === |
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{{Main|Weather|Climate}} |
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| image1 = IntertropicalConvergenceZone-EO.jpg |
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| caption1 = The [[ITCZ]]'s band of clouds over the Eastern Pacific and the Americas as seen from space |
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| image5 = Köppen-Geiger Climate Classification Map (1980–2016) no borders.png |
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| caption5 = Worldwide [[Köppen climate classification]]s |
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}} |
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Earth's atmosphere has no definite boundary, gradually becoming thinner and fading into outer space.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/where-is-the-edge-of-space-and-what-is-the-karman-line|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210304132146/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/science/article/where-is-the-edge-of-space-and-what-is-the-karman-line|url-status=dead|archive-date=4 March 2021|title=Where, exactly, is the edge of space? It depends on who you ask|website=[[National Geographic]] |last1=Drake |first1=Nadia |author-link1=Nadia Drake|date=20 December 2018|access-date=4 December 2021}}</ref> Three-quarters of the atmosphere's mass is contained within the first {{convert|11|km|mi|abbr=on}} of the surface; this lowest layer is called the troposphere.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/troposphere/en/|title=Troposphere|website=SpacePlace|publisher=[[NASA]]|last1=Erickson|first1=Kristen|last2=Doyle|first2=Heather|date=28 June 2019|access-date=4 December 2021|archive-date=4 December 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211204093554/https://spaceplace.nasa.gov/troposphere/en/|url-status=live}}</ref> Energy from the Sun heats this layer, and the surface below, causing expansion of the air. This lower-density air then rises and is replaced by cooler, higher-density air. The result is [[atmospheric circulation]] that drives the weather and climate through redistribution of thermal energy.<ref name="moran2005" /> |
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The primary atmospheric circulation bands consist of the [[trade winds]] in the equatorial region below 30° latitude and the [[westerlies]] in the mid-latitudes between 30° and 60°.<ref name="berger2002" /> [[Ocean heat content]] and [[Ocean current|currents]] are also important factors in determining climate, particularly the [[thermohaline circulation]] that distributes thermal energy from the equatorial oceans to the polar regions.<ref name=rahmstorf2003 /> |
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[[IGN]] Australia awarded ''Spore'' a 9.2 out of 10 score, saying, "It [''Spore''] will make you acknowledge just how far we've come, and just how far we have to go, and ''Spore'' will change the way you think about the universe we live in."<ref name="ignrev">{{cite web|url=http://pc.ign.com/articles/907/907287p1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080904172713/http://pc.ign.com/articles/907/907287p1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=September 4, 2008|title=IGN AU ''Spore'' review|author=Nick Kolan|date=September 2, 2008|work=[[IGN]]|publisher=IGN}}</ref> [[PC Gamer UK|''PC Gamer'' UK]] awarded the game a 91%, saying "''Spore''{{'}}s triumph is painfully ironic. By setting out to instill a sense of wonderment at creation and the majesty of the universe, it's shown us that it's actually a lot more interesting to sit here at our computers and explore the contents of each other's brains."<ref name="pcguk">{{cite magazine |author=Francis |first=Tom |date=October 2008 |title=UK ''Spore'' review |url=http://computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=196423 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426173702/http://www.computerandvideogames.com/196423/reviews/spore-review/ |archive-date=April 26, 2012 |access-date=September 5, 2008 |magazine=PC Gamer UK |page=1 |via=[[Computer and Video Games|CVG]] |quote=}}</ref> In its 4.5 (of 5) -star review, [[GameSpy]] wrote "''Spore'' is a technological triumph that introduces a whole new way of tapping into a bottomless well of content."<ref name="Sporepcrev-GameSpy">{{cite web|url=http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/spore/907564p1.html|title=GameSpy ''Spore'' review|author=Dave 'Fargo' Kosak|date=September 4, 2008|work=[[GameSpy]]|publisher=IGN|access-date=September 4, 2008|archive-date=February 24, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120224001557/http://pc.gamespy.com/pc/spore/907564p1.html|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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Earth receives 1361 W/m<sup>2</sup> of [[solar irradiance]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Earth Fact Sheet |website=NASA Space Science Data Coordinated Archive |date=5 June 2023 |url=https://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/earthfact.html |access-date=17 September 2023 |archive-date=8 May 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130508021904/http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/factsheet/earthfact.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal | first1=Odele | last1=Coddington | first2=Judith L. | last2=Lean | author2-link=Judith Lean | first3=Peter | last3=Pilewskie | first4=Martin | last4=Snow | first5=Doug | last5=Lindholm |date=2016 |title=A Solar Irradiance Climate Data Record |journal=Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society |volume=97 |issue=7 |pages=1265–1282 |bibcode=2016BAMS...97.1265C |doi=10.1175/bams-d-14-00265.1 |doi-access=free}}</ref> The amount of solar energy that reaches Earth's surface decreases with increasing latitude. At higher latitudes, the sunlight reaches the surface at lower angles, and it must pass through thicker columns of the atmosphere. As a result, the mean annual air temperature at sea level decreases by about {{convert|0.4|C-change|F-change|1}} per degree of latitude from the equator.<ref name="sadava_heller2006" /> Earth's surface can be subdivided into specific latitudinal belts of approximately homogeneous climate. Ranging from the equator to the polar regions, these are the tropical (or equatorial), [[Subtropics|subtropical]], [[temperate]] and [[Polar region|polar]] climates.<ref name="climate_zones" /> |
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Most of the criticism of ''Spore'' came from the lack of depth in the first four phases, summarized by [[Eurogamer]]'s 9 of 10 review, which stated, "for all their mighty purpose, the first four phases of the game don't always play brilliantly, and they're too fleeting."<ref name="Sporepcrev-EuroGamer">{{cite web|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=229057&page=1|title=Eurogamer ''Spore'' review|author=Tom Bramwell|date=September 4, 2008|work=[[Eurogamer]]|page=3|access-date=September 4, 2008|archive-date=November 21, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111121121424/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/spore-review|url-status=live}}</ref> [[1UP.com]] reasoned in its B+ graded review, "It's not a perfect game, but it's definitely one that any serious gamer should try."<ref name="1uprev">{{cite web|url=http://www.1up.com/do/reviewPage?cId=3169768&p=1|title=1Up.com ''Spore'' review|page=1|author=Thierry Nguyen|date=September 4, 2008|access-date=September 4, 2008|work=[[1Up.com]]|publisher=[[Ziff-Davis]]|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111130105353/http://www.1up.com/reviews/spore|archive-date=November 30, 2011|df=mdy-all}}</ref> [[GameSpot]] in its 8.0 of 10 review called ''Spore'' "a legitimately great game that will deliver hours of quality entertainment", but criticized the "individual gameplay elements [that] are extremely simple."<ref name="SporePCrev-GSpot">{{cite web|url=http://www.gamespot.com/pc/strategy/spore/review.html|title=GameSpot ''Spore'' review|author=Kevin VanOrd|date=September 4, 2008|website=GameSpot|page=2|access-date=September 4, 2008|archive-date=February 18, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120218080508/http://www.gamespot.com/spore/reviews/spore-review-6197206/|url-status=live}}</ref> Jason Ocampo's [[IGN]] 8.8 of 10 review stated, "Maxis has made an impressive product that does so many incredible things" but added, "while ''Spore'' is an amazing product, it's just not quite an amazing game."<ref name="ignrevus">{{cite web|url= http://pc.ign.com/articles/907/907454p1.html|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20080905080313/http://pc.ign.com/articles/907/907454p1.html|url-status= dead|archive-date= September 5, 2008|title= IGN ''Spore'' review|author= Jason Ocampo|date= September 4, 2008|access-date= September 4, 2008|page= 3|work= [[IGN]]|publisher= IGN}}</ref> |
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Further factors that affect a location's climates are its [[Continentality|proximity to oceans]], the oceanic and atmospheric circulation, and topology.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rohli |first1=Robert. V.|title=Climatology|last2=Vega|first2=Anthony J.|publisher=Jones & Bartlett Learning|year=2018|isbn=978-1-284-12656-3|edition=fourth|page=49}}</ref> Places close to oceans typically have colder summers and warmer winters, due to the fact that oceans can store large amounts of heat. The wind transports the cold or the heat of the ocean to the land.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Rohli|first1=Robert. V.|title=Climatology|last2=Vega|first2=Anthony J.|publisher=Jones & Bartlett Learning |year=2018 |isbn=978-1-284-12656-3|edition=fourth|page=32}}</ref> Atmospheric circulation also plays an important role: San Francisco and Washington DC are both coastal cities at about the same latitude. San Francisco's climate is significantly more moderate as the prevailing wind direction is from sea to land.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Rohli |first1=Robert. V.|title=Climatology|last2=Vega|first2=Anthony J.|publisher=Jones & Bartlett Learning|year=2018|isbn=978-1-284-12656-3|edition=fourth|page=34}}</ref> Finally, temperatures [[Lapse rate|decrease with height]] causing mountainous areas to be colder than low-lying areas.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Rohli|first1=Robert. V. |title=Climatology |last2=Vega |first2=Anthony J. |publisher=Jones & Bartlett Learning |year=2018 |isbn=978-1-284-12656-3 |edition=fourth |page=46}}</ref> |
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''[[The New York Times]] ''review of ''Spore'' mostly centered on lack of depth and quality of gameplay in the later phases of the game, stating that "most of the basic core play dynamics in ''Spore'' are unfortunately rather thin."<ref>{{cite news| url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/05/arts/television/05spor.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=spore&st=cse&oref=slogin| title=Playing God, the Home Game| author=Seth Schiesel| date=September 5, 2008| access-date=September 9, 2008| work=New York Times| archive-date=July 7, 2017| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707094621/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/05/arts/television/05spor.html?_r=1&scp=1&sq=spore&st=cse&oref=slogin| url-status=live}}</ref> While a review in [[PC Gamer US|''PC Gamer'' US]] stated that "it just isn't right to judge ''Spore'' in the context of so many of the other games we judge",<ref name="pcgusrev">{{cite web|url=https://www.gamesradar.com/pc/spore/review/spore/a-20080903161719295065/g-2006022417441549006|title=PC Gamer ''Spore'' review|page=4|author=Kristen Salvatore|date=October 2008|access-date=September 5, 2008|work=[[PC Gamer]]|publisher=[[Future Publishing]]|quote=Reprinted from PC Gamer US at [[GamesRadar]]|archive-date=June 15, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110615195855/http://www.gamesradar.com/pc/spore/review/spore/a-20080903161719295065/g-2006022417441549006|url-status=live}}</ref> ''[[Zero Punctuation]]'' was also critical of the game, claiming it did not live up to the legacy of ''[[The Sims]]'': "The chief failing of ''Spore'' is that it's trying to be five games, each one a shallow and cut down equivalent of another game, with the Civilization Stage even going so far as to be named after the game [''[[Civilization (video game)|Civilization]]''] it's bastardizing."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/218-Spore|title=Zero Punctuation : Spore|website=The Escapist|access-date=April 7, 2009|archive-date=April 12, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090412224432/http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/zero-punctuation/218-Spore|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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Water vapor generated through surface evaporation is transported by circulatory patterns in the atmosphere. When atmospheric conditions permit an uplift of warm, humid air, this water condenses and falls to the surface as [[precipitation]].<ref name="moran2005" /> Most of the water is then transported to lower elevations by river systems and usually returned to the oceans or deposited into lakes. This [[water cycle]] is a vital mechanism for supporting life on land and is a primary factor in the erosion of surface features over geological periods. Precipitation patterns vary widely, ranging from several meters of water per year to less than a millimeter. Atmospheric circulation, topographic features, and temperature differences determine the average precipitation that falls in each region.<ref name="hydrologic_cycle" /> |
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Criticism has also emerged surrounding the stability of the game, with ''[[The Daily Telegraph]]'' stating: |
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"The launch of ''Spore'', the keenly anticipated computer game from the creators of ''The Sims'', has been blighted by technical problems."<ref name="Telegraph">{{cite news |author=Jon Swaine |date=September 8, 2008 |title=Spore, the new computer game from creator of The Sims, blighted by technical problems |page=1 |newspaper=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |location=London |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/connected/main.jhtml?xml=/connected/2008/09/08/dlspore108.xml |url-status=dead |access-date=September 8, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080911001516/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/connected/main.jhtml?xml=%2Fconnected%2F2008%2F09%2F08%2Fdlspore108.xml |archive-date=September 11, 2008 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> In an interview published by [[MTV]], ''Spore'' designer Will Wright responded to early criticism that the phases of the game had been dumbed-down by explaining: "We were very focused, if anything, on making a game for more casual players. ''Spore'' has more depth than, let’s say, ''The Sims'' did. But we looked at the Metacritic scores for ''Sims 2'', which was around ninety, and something like ''Half-Life'', which was ninety-seven, and we decided — quite a while back — that we would rather have the Metacritic and sales of ''Sims 2'' than the Metacritic and sales of ''Half-Life''."<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.mtv.com/news/41oo17/will-wright-reacts-to-crtical-spore-reviews|title=Will Wright Reacts To Critical 'Spore' Reviews, Reveals Personal Playing Style|author=Stephen Totilo|date=September 7, 2008|publisher=MTV|journal=|access-date=January 8, 2023|archive-date=January 8, 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230108231148/https://www.mtv.com/news/41oo17/will-wright-reacts-to-crtical-spore-reviews|url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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The commonly used [[Köppen climate classification]] system has five broad groups ([[tropical climate|humid tropics]], [[arid]], [[humid subtropical climate|humid middle latitudes]], [[Continental climate|continental]] and cold [[polar climate|polar]]), which are further divided into more specific subtypes.<ref name="berger2002" /> The Köppen system rates regions based on observed temperature and precipitation.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Rohli|first1=Robert. V.|title=Climatology|last2=Vega|first2=Anthony J.|publisher=Jones & Bartlett Learning|year=2018|isbn=978-1-284-12656-3|edition=fourth|page=159}}</ref> Surface [[Highest temperature recorded on Earth|air temperature can rise to]] around {{convert|55|C|F}} in [[hot desert]]s, such as [[Death Valley National Park|Death Valley]], and [[Lowest temperature recorded on Earth|can fall as low as]] {{convert|-89|C|F}} in [[Antarctica]].<ref>{{Cite journal | first1=Khalid I. | last1=El Fadli | first2=Randall S. | last2=Cerveny | first3=Christopher C. | last3=Burt | first4=Philip | last4=Eden | first5=David | last5=Parker | first6=Manola | last6=Brunet | first7=Thomas C. | last7=Peterson | first8=Gianpaolo | last8=Mordacchini | first9=Vinicio | last9=Pelino | first10=Pierre | last10=Bessemoulin | first11=José Luis | last11=Stella | first12=Fatima | last12=Driouech | first13=M. M Abdel | last13=Wahab | first14=Matthew B. | last14=Pace |display-authors=1|date=2013|title=World Meteorological Organization Assessment of the Purported World Record 58°C Temperature Extreme at El Azizia, Libya (13 September 1922)|journal=Bulletin of the American Meteorological Society |language=en |volume=94 |issue=2 |pages=199–204 |doi=10.1175/BAMS-D-12-00093.1|bibcode=2013BAMS...94..199E|issn=0003-0007|doi-access=free}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Turner|first1=John|display-authors=et al |date=2009 |title=Record low surface air temperature at Vostok station, Antarctica|journal=Journal of Geophysical Research: Atmospheres |language=en |volume=114 |issue=D24 |page=D24102 |doi=10.1029/2009JD012104|bibcode=2009JGRD..11424102T|issn=2156-2202|doi-access=free}}</ref> |
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In its first three weeks on sale, the game sold 2 million copies, according to Electronic Arts.<ref>{{cite press release|url=http://news.ea.com/portal/site/ea/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&ndmConfigId=1012492&newsId=20081030006325&newsLang=en|title=EA Reports Second Quarter Fiscal Year 2009 Results|publisher=[[Electronic Arts]]|date=October 30, 2008|access-date=October 31, 2008|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081106094453/http://news.ea.com/portal/site/ea/index.jsp?ndmViewId=news_view&ndmConfigId=1012492&newsId=20081030006325&newsLang=en|archive-date=November 6, 2008|df=mdy-all}}</ref> It received a "Silver" sales award from the [[Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association]] (ELSPA),<ref name=silverelspa>{{cite web |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090221154943/http://www.elspa.com/?i=3942 |url=http://www.elspa.com:80/?i=3942 |title=ELSPA Sales Awards: Silver |work=[[Entertainment and Leisure Software Publishers Association]] |archive-date=February 21, 2009 |url-status=dead }}</ref> indicating sales of at least 100,000 copies in the United Kingdom.<ref name=gamasutrasales>{{cite web|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170918063107/https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/112220/ELSPA_Wii_Fit_Mario_Kart_Reach_Diamond_Status_In_UK.php |url=https://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/112220/ELSPA_Wii_Fit_Mario_Kart_Reach_Diamond_Status_In_UK.php |title=ELSPA: ''Wii Fit'', ''Mario Kart'' Reach Diamond Status In UK | author=Caoili, Eric | date=November 26, 2008 |work=[[Gamasutra]] |archive-date=September 18, 2017 |url-status=dead }}</ref> |
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=== Upper atmosphere === |
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During the [[12th Annual Interactive Achievement Awards]], the [[Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences]] awarded ''Spore'' with "[[D.I.C.E. Award for Outstanding Technical Achievement|Outstanding Achievement in Gameplay Engineering]]", along with receiving nominations for "Computer Game of the Year" and "Outstanding Innovation in Gaming".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.interactive.org/games/video_game_details.asp?idAward=2009&idGame=997 |title=D.I.C.E. Awards By Video Game Details Spore |publisher=[[Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences]] |website=interactive.org |access-date=15 November 2023 |archive-date=November 15, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231115163038/https://www.interactive.org/games/video_game_details.asp?idAward=2009&idGame=997 |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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[[File:Antarctic aurora ESA313457.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Earth's night-side upper atmosphere appearing from the bottom as bands of [[afterglow]] illuminating the [[troposphere]] in orange with silhouettes of clouds, and the [[stratosphere]] in white and blue. Next the [[mesosphere]] (pink area) extends to the orange and faintly green line of the lowest [[airglow]], at about one hundred kilometers at the [[Outer space#Boundary|edge of space]] and the lower edge of the [[thermosphere]] (invisible). Continuing with green and red bands of [[aurora]]e stretching over several hundred kilometers.]] |
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The upper atmosphere, the atmosphere above the troposphere,<ref>{{cite web |last=Morton |first=Oliver |title=Upper atmosphere Definition und Bedeutung |website=Collins Wörterbuch |date=26 August 2022 |url=https://www.collinsdictionary.com/de/worterbuch/englisch/upper-atmosphere |language=de |access-date=26 August 2022 |archive-date=21 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230221195154/https://www.collinsdictionary.com/de/worterbuch/englisch/upper-atmosphere |url-status=live }}</ref> is usually divided into the [[stratosphere]], [[mesosphere]], and [[thermosphere]].<ref name="atmosphere" /> Each layer has a different lapse rate, defining the rate of change in temperature with height. Beyond these, the [[exosphere]] thins out into the magnetosphere, where the geomagnetic fields interact with the solar wind.<ref name=sciweek2004 /> Within the stratosphere is the ozone layer, a component that partially shields the surface from ultraviolet light and thus is important for life on Earth. The [[Kármán line]], defined as {{convert|100|km|mi|abbr=on}} above Earth's surface, is a working definition for the boundary between the atmosphere and [[outer space]].<ref name=cordoba2004 /> |
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Thermal energy causes some of the molecules at the outer edge of the atmosphere to increase their velocity to the point where they can escape from Earth's gravity. This causes a slow but steady [[Atmospheric escape|loss of the atmosphere into space]]. Because unfixed [[hydrogen]] has a low [[molecular mass]], it can achieve [[escape velocity]] more readily, and it leaks into outer space at a greater rate than other gases.<ref name="jas31_4_1118" /> The leakage of hydrogen into space contributes to the shifting of Earth's atmosphere and surface from an initially [[redox|reducing]] state to its current oxidizing one. Photosynthesis provided a source of free oxygen, but the loss of reducing agents such as hydrogen is thought to have been a necessary precondition for the widespread accumulation of oxygen in the atmosphere.<ref name="sci293_5531_839" /> Hence the ability of hydrogen to escape from the atmosphere may have influenced the nature of life that developed on Earth.<ref name="abedon1997" /> In the current, oxygen-rich atmosphere most hydrogen is converted into water before it has an opportunity to escape. Instead, most of the hydrogen loss comes from the destruction of methane in the upper atmosphere.<ref name="arwps4_265" /> |
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===DRM controversy=== |
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{{further|SecuROM}} |
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''Spore'' uses a modified version of the controversial [[digital rights management]] (DRM) software [[SecuROM]] as [[copy protection]],<ref>{{cite web |author= |date=September 12, 2008 |title=Casual Friday: Why ''Spore'' Won't Work |url=http://www.pcworld.com/article/150965/casual_friday_why_spore_wont_work.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080926003605/http://www.pcworld.com/article/150965/casual_friday_why_spore_wont_work.html |archive-date=September 26, 2008 |access-date=September 24, 2008 |website=PC World}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author1=Teridman |first=Daniel |date=May 8, 2008 |title=Report: Gamers angry at DRM system from EA |url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-9939161-52.html?tag=mncol |access-date=September 24, 2008 |website=CNet News}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |author= |date=September 9, 2008 |title=Spore DRM: the evolution of a brewing controversy |url=http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080909/BLOG24/809099993 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080912021034/http://www.heraldnet.com/article/20080909/BLOG24/809099993 |archive-date=September 12, 2008 |access-date=September 24, 2008 |website=[[The Everett Herald]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/19/AR2008091900129.html|author1=Staci D. Kramer|author2=Washington Post|title=EA Admits ''Spore'' Launch Botched by DRM; Still, Financial Damage Already Done|date=September 19, 2008|access-date=September 25, 2008|newspaper=The Washington Post|archive-date=November 10, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110204957/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/19/AR2008091900129.html|url-status=live}}</ref> which requires authentication upon installation and when online access is used.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7604405.stm|title=Copyright row dogs ''Spore'' release|date=September 10, 2008|work=[[BBC News]]|access-date=September 17, 2008|archive-date=September 14, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080914104745/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7604405.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> This system was announced after the originally planned system met opposition from the public, as it would have required authentication every ten days.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/52547|title=Spore, Mass Effect PC to Require Online Validation Every Ten Days to Function|work=[[Shacknews]]|date=May 6, 2008|access-date=September 17, 2008|archive-date=January 18, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110118090147/http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/52547|url-status=live}}</ref> Additionally, EA released the game under a policy by which the [[product key]] of an individual copy of the game would only be authenticated on up to three computers;<ref>{{cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080916-ars-puts-spore-drm-to-the-testwith-a-surprising-result.html|title=Ars puts ''Spore'' DRM to the test—with a surprising result|date=September 16, 2008|work=[[Ars Technica]]|access-date=September 17, 2008|archive-date=September 16, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080916230314/http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080916-ars-puts-spore-drm-to-the-testwith-a-surprising-result.html|url-status=live}}</ref> however, some users ran afoul of the limitations as the software would consider even a slight change of hardware to constitute a different computer, resulting in all authorizations being used up by those who often upgrade their computer. In response to customer complaints, this limit was raised to five computers.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-10046565-52.html|title=EA retools 'Spore' DRM activation features|work=[[CNET]]|date=September 19, 2008|access-date=September 20, 2008|archive-date=June 17, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110617031106/http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-10046565-52.html|url-status=live}}</ref> After the activation limit has been depleted, EA Customer Service will consider further activations on a case-by-case basis.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://support.ea.com/cgi-bin/ea.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=19743|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121209020157/http://support.ea.com/cgi-bin/ea.cfg/php/enduser/std_adp.php?p_faqid=19743|url-status=dead|archive-date=December 9, 2012|title=How will Digital Rights Management (DRM) work with ''Spore'' and ''Spore'' Creature Creator?|work=EA Customer Support|publisher=[[Electronic Arts]]|access-date=September 17, 2008}}</ref> A survey conducted by EA revealed that only 14% have activated on more than 1 PC and less than 1% of users have tried to activate ''Spore'' on more than 3 PCs.<ref>{{cite web |last=Totilo |first=Stephen |date=16 September 2008 |title='Spore' DRM Update– EA Loosening One Restriction In 'Near Future,' Offers Defense |url=http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2008/09/16/spore-drm-update-ea-loosening-one-restriction/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091101171400/http://multiplayerblog.mtv.com/2008/09/16/spore-drm-update-ea-loosening-one-restriction/ |archive-date=November 1, 2009 |access-date=June 5, 2010 |website=multiplayerblog.mtv.com |df=mdy-all}}</ref> |
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== Life on Earth == |
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By September 14, 2008 (ten days after the game's initial Australian release), 2,016 of 2,216 ratings on [[Amazon (company)|Amazon]] gave the game one out of five stars, most citing EA's implementation of DRM for the low ratings.<ref name="wp"/> Electronic Arts cited ''SecuROM'' as a "standard for the industry" and Apple's [[iPod]] song DRM policy as justification for the control method.<ref name="financialtimesdrm">{{cite web|url=http://blogs.ft.com/techblog/2008/09/spore-hit-by-drm-protest/|title=Spore hit by DRM protest|work=[[Financial Times]]|publisher=Financial Times, Ltd.|author=Chris Nuttall|date=September 8, 2008|access-date=September 10, 2008|page=1|quote=Jeff Brown, vice president of corporate communications at EA... described EA’s SecuROM DRM as standard for the industry and cited Apple’s practice of only allowing downloaded music to be played on three devices.|archive-date=September 9, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080909232411/http://blogs.ft.com/techblog/2008/09/spore-hit-by-drm-protest/|url-status=live}}</ref> Former Maxis developer Chris Harris labeled the DRM a "screw up" and a "totally avoidable disaster".<ref name="spong">{{cite web|url=http://news.spong.com/article/16171/Former_Maxis_Man_Spore_DRM_is_a_Screw_Up|title=Former Maxis Man: ''Spore'' DRM is a Screw Up|work=Spong|date=September 9, 2008|access-date=September 10, 2008|page=1|archive-date=September 12, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080912015251/http://news.spong.com/article/16171/Former_Maxis_Man_Spore_DRM_is_a_Screw_Up|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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{{Main|Biosphere|History of life}} |
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[[File:Mollweide Cycle.gif|thumb|upright=1.3|An animation of the changing density of [[primary production|productive]] vegetation on land (low in brown; heavy in dark green) and phytoplankton at the [[ocean surface]] (low in purple; high in yellow)]] |
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Earth is the only known place that has ever been [[Planetary habitability|habitable]] for life. Earth's life developed in Earth's early bodies of water some hundred million years after Earth formed. Earth's life has been shaping and inhabiting many particular [[ecosystem]]s on Earth and has eventually expanded globally forming an overarching biosphere.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/biosphere/|title=Biosphere|first1=Kim|last1=Rutledge|display-authors=et al|date=24 June 2011|work=National Geographic|access-date=1 November 2020|archive-date=28 May 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220528115549/https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/biosphere/|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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Therefore, life has impacted Earth, significantly altering Earth's atmosphere and surface over long periods of time, causing changes like the [[Great Oxidation Event]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=NASA Astrobiology Institute |url=https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/nai/articles/2019/3/5/clues-of-earths-early-rise-of-oxygen/index.html |access-date=9 November 2023 |website=astrobiology.nasa.gov |archive-date=17 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231117125556/https://astrobiology.nasa.gov/nai/articles/2019/3/5/clues-of-earths-early-rise-of-oxygen/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref> Earth's life has also over time greatly diversified, allowing the biosphere to have different [[biome]]s, which are inhabited by comparatively similar plants and animals.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/guides/zmyj6sg/revision/3 |title=Interdependency between animal and plant species |page=3 |work=[[BBC Bitesize]] |publisher=[[BBC]] |access-date=28 June 2019 |archive-date=27 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190627225057/https://www.bbc.com/bitesize/guides/zmyj6sg/revision/3 |url-status=live }}</ref> The different biomes developed at distinct elevations or [[Ocean depths|water depths]], planetary temperature [[latitude]]s and on land also with different [[humidity]]. [[Latitudinal gradients in species diversity|Earth's species diversity]] and [[Biomass (ecology)|biomass]] reaches a peak in shallow waters and with [[tropical rainforest|forests, particularly in equatorial, warm and humid conditions]]. While freezing [[Polar regions of Earth|polar regions]] and [[Alpine tundra|high altitudes]], or [[desert|extremely arid areas]] are relatively barren of plant and animal life.<ref name="amnat163_2_192" /> |
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The ''SecuROM'' software was not mentioned on the box, in the manual, or in the [[software license agreement]]. An EA spokesperson stated that "we don't disclose specifically which copy protection or digital rights management system we use [...] because EA typically uses one license agreement for all of its downloadable games, and different EA downloadable games may use different copy protection and digital rights management.”<ref>{{cite web |last=Taylor |first=Paul |date=September 11, 2008 |title=Spore seeds rootkit |url=http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/09/10/spore-seeds-rootkit |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081122150951/http://www.theinquirer.net/gb/inquirer/news/2008/09/10/spore-seeds-rootkit |archive-date=November 22, 2008 |access-date=March 13, 2009 |publisher=[[The Inquirer]] |df=mdy-all}}</ref> A cracked version without the DRM was released two days before the initial Australian release,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://kotaku.com/5045120/spore-cracked-and-torrented-already|title=Spore Cracked And Torrented, Already|website=Kotaku|date=September 3, 2008|access-date=July 15, 2010|archive-date=January 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125025725/https://kotaku.com/spore-cracked-and-torrented-already-5045120|url-status=live}}</ref> making ''Spore'' the most torrented game on [[BitTorrent]] in 2008.<ref name="wp">{{cite news|first=Erick|last=Schonfeld|title=Spore And The Great DRM Backlash|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/14/AR2008091400885.html|work=TechCrunch|publisher=[[washingtonpost.com]]|date=September 14, 2008|access-date=September 16, 2008|archive-date=November 10, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121110205011/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/09/14/AR2008091400885.html|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-pirated-games-of-2008-081204/ |title=Top 10 Most Pirated Games of 2008 |publisher=TorrentFreak |date=December 4, 2008 |access-date=March 13, 2009 |archive-date=February 20, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090220140559/http://torrentfreak.com/top-10-most-pirated-games-of-2008-081204/ |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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Earth provides liquid water—an environment where complex [[Organic compound|organic molecules]] can assemble and interact, and sufficient energy to sustain a [[metabolism]].<ref name="ab2003" /> Plants and other organisms take up [[nutrient]]s from water, soils and the atmosphere. These nutrients are constantly recycled between different species.<ref>{{Cite book|last1=Singh|first1=J. S.|author-link1=Jamuna Sharan Singh|last2=Singh|first2=S. P.|author-link2=S. P. Singh (biochemist)|last3=Gupta|first3=S.R.|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/896866658|title=Ecology environmental science and conservation|publisher=S. Chand & Company|year=2013|isbn=978-93-83746-00-2|edition=First|location=New Delhi|oclc=896866658|access-date=1 November 2020|archive-date=31 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331100347/https://www.worldcat.org/title/ecology-environmental-science-and-conservation/oclc/896866658|url-status=live}}</ref>[[File:Desert_Electric.jpg|thumb|A [[High Desert (California)|High Desert]] storm in the [[Mojave Desert|Mojave]]]] |
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On September 22, 2008, a class action lawsuit was filed against EA, regarding the DRM in Spore, complaining about EA not disclosing the existence of SecuROM, and addressing how SecuROM runs with the nature of a [[rootkit]], including how it remains on the hard drive even after ''Spore'' is uninstalled.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/54887|title=Spore DRM Prompts $5M Class Action Lawsuit|last=Faylor|first=Chris|date=September 24, 2008|publisher=ShackNews|access-date=September 24, 2008|archive-date=September 25, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080925103051/http://www.shacknews.com/onearticle.x/54887|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://kotaku.com/5054175/class-action-lawsuit-arises-over-spore-drm|title=Class Action Lawsuit Arises Over ''Spore'' DRM|last=Fahey|first=Mike|date=September 24, 2008|website=Kotaku|access-date=September 24, 2008|archive-date=September 27, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080927082357/http://kotaku.com/5054175/class-action-lawsuit-arises-over-spore-drm|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>A copy of the filed complaint can be read in full here [http://www.courthousenews.com/2008/09/23/Spore.pdf] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160117103250/http://www.courthousenews.com/2008/09/23/Spore.pdf|date=January 17, 2016}}.</ref> On October 14, 2008, a similar class action lawsuit was filed against EA for the inclusion of DRM software in the free demo version of the Creature Creator.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://docs.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/california/candce/3:2008cv04733/208019/1/ |title=Spore Creature Creator Demo prompts class action |access-date=November 13, 2008 |archive-date=December 10, 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081210191100/http://docs.justia.com/cases/federal/district-courts/california/candce/3%3A2008cv04733/208019/1/ |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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Extreme weather, such as [[tropical cyclone]]s (including [[hurricane]]s and [[typhoon]]s), occurs over most of Earth's surface and has a large impact on life in those areas. From 1980 to 2000, these events caused an average of 11,800 human deaths per year.<ref>{{cite book|title=Oceans and Human Health|first1=Sharon|last1=Smith|author-link=Sharon L. Smith|first2=Lora |last2=Fleming|first3=Helena|last3=Solo-Gabriele|first4=William H.|last4=Gerwick|publisher=Elsevier Science|year= 2011|isbn=978-0-08-087782-2|page=212}}</ref> Many places are subject to earthquakes, [[landslide]]s, [[tsunami]]s, volcanic eruptions, [[tornado]]es, [[blizzard]]s, floods, droughts, [[wildfire]]s, and other calamities and disasters.<ref>{{cite book|title=Natural Disasters|last1=Alexander|first1=David|page=3|year=1993|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wnt0DwAAQBAJ&q=Natural+Disasters&pg=PT11|publisher=Springer Science & Business Media|isbn=978-1-317-93881-1|access-date=9 August 2023|archive-date=10 August 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230810230725/https://books.google.com/books?id=wnt0DwAAQBAJ&pg=PT11&q=Natural+Disasters|url-status=live}}</ref> Human impact is felt in many areas due to pollution of the air and water, [[acid rain]], loss of vegetation ([[overgrazing]], [[deforestation]], [[desertification]]), loss of wildlife, species [[extinction]], [[soil degradation]], [[soil depletion]] and [[erosion]].<ref>{{cite book|pages=52, 66, 69, 137, 142, 185, 202, 355, 366|title=The Human Impact on the Natural Environment |last1=Goudie |first1=Andrew|author-link1=Andrew Goudie (geographer) |year=2000|publisher=MIT Press|isbn=978-0-262-57138-8}}</ref> Human activities release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere which cause [[global warming]].<ref name=ConsensusOnConsensus>{{Cite journal | first1=John | last1=Cook | first2=Naomi | last2=Oreskes | author2-link=Naomi Oreskes | first3=Peter T. | last3=Doran | author3-link=Peter Doran | first4=William R. L. | last4=Anderegg | first5=Bart | last5=Verheggen | first6=Ed W | last6=Maibach | author6-link=Edward Maibach | first7=J. Stuart | last7=Carlton | first8=Stephan | last8=Lewandowsky | author8-link=Stephan Lewandowsky | first9=Andrew G. | last9=Skuce | first10=Sarah A. | last10=Green | first11=Dana | last11=Nuccitelli | first12=Peter | last12=Jacobs | first13=Mark | last13=Richardson | first14=Bärbel | last14=Winkler | first15=Rob | last15=Painting | first16=Ken | last16=Rice | date=2016 |title=Consensus on consensus: a synthesis of consensus estimates on human-caused global warming|journal=Environmental Research Letters |language=en |volume=11 |issue=4 |page=048002 |doi=10.1088/1748-9326/11/4/048002 |bibcode=2016ERL....11d8002C |issn=1748-9326|doi-access=free| hdl=1983/34949783-dac1-4ce7-ad95-5dc0798930a6 | hdl-access=free }}</ref> This is driving [[Effects of climate change|changes]] such as the [[Retreat of glaciers since 1850|melting of glaciers and ice sheets]], a [[Sea level rise|global rise in average sea levels]], increased risk of drought and wildfires, and migration of species to colder areas.<ref name="Global Warming Effects">{{Cite web|date=14 January 2019|title=Global Warming Effects|url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/global-warming-effects/|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170118014716/http://www.nationalgeographic.com/environment/global-warming/global-warming-effects/|url-status=dead|archive-date=18 January 2017|access-date=16 September 2020|website=National Geographic|language=en}}</ref> |
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The DRM was also one of the major reasons why Spore is still one of the most pirated games to date, where within the first week of the game, over 500,000 people started downloading or downloaded it illegally from sites like [[The Pirate Bay]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://torrentfreak.com/spore-most-pirated-game-ever-thanks-to-drm-080913/|title=Spore: Most Pirated Game Ever Thanks to DRM|date=2008-09-13|website=TorrentFreak|language=en|access-date=2019-05-09|archive-date=January 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125025725/https://torrentfreak.com/spore-most-pirated-game-ever-thanks-to-drm-080913/|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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== Human geography == |
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EA began selling ''Spore'' without SecuROM on December 22, 2008, through [[Steam (service)|Steam]].<ref>{{cite web | url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-13772_3-10128408-52.html?part=rss&subj=news&tag=2547-1_3-0-20 | title=EA to offer 'Spore' DRM-free|last=Ogg|first=Erica|work=CNET News}}</ref> Furthermore, EA Games president Frank Gibeau announced that maximum install limit would be increased from 3 to 5 and that it would be possible to de-authorize and move installations to new machines, citing the need to adapt their policy to accommodate their legitimate customers.<ref>{{cite news |date=September 19, 2008 |url=http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2008/09/ea-to-spore-pla.html |title=EA to ''Spore'' players: We're sorry for DRM | Technology | Los Angeles Times |publisher=Latimesblogs.latimes.com |access-date=March 13, 2009 |archive-date=April 9, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090409114441/http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/technology/2008/09/ea-to-spore-pla.html |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="dailytech-20080922">{{cite web |author=Kamizuru |first=Stephen |date=September 22, 2008 |title=EA Loosens ''Spore'' DRM Restrictions, Promises Further Changes |url=http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=13014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080922170221/http://www.dailytech.com/article.aspx?newsid=13014 |archive-date=September 22, 2008 |website=dailytech.com |df=mdy-all}}</ref> EA has stated, "By running the de-authorization tool, a machine 'slot' will be freed up on the online Product Authorization server and can then be re-used by another machine. You can de-authorize at any time, even without uninstalling Spore, and free up that machine authorization. If you re-launch ''Spore'' on the same machine, the game will attempt to re-authorize. If you have not reached the machine limitation, the game will authorize and the machine will be re-authorized using up one of the five available machines." However, the de-authorization tool to do this is not available on the Mac platform.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.spore.com/patch/deauthorization|title=De-Authorization Tool|publisher=Spore.com|access-date=March 13, 2009|archive-date=February 28, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090228024141/http://www.spore.com/patch/deauthorization|url-status=live}}</ref> In 2016, a DRM-free version of ''Spore'' was released on [[GOG.com]].<ref>{{cite web|last1=Hansen|first1=Steven|title=Nab Mirror's Edge, Saboteur, or Spore for cheap on GOG|url=https://www.destructoid.com/nab-mirror-s-edge-saboteur-or-spore-for-cheap-on-gog-388479.phtml|website=[[Destructoid]]|access-date=September 24, 2016|date=September 22, 2016|archive-date=September 24, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160924081215/https://www.destructoid.com/nab-mirror-s-edge-saboteur-or-spore-for-cheap-on-gog-388479.phtml|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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{{Main|Human geography}} |
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{{See also|World}} |
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[[File:Earth's City Lights by DMSP, 1994-1995 (large).jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|A composite image of [[light pollution|artificial light emissions]] at night on a map of Earth]] |
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Originating from earlier [[primate]]s in Eastern Africa 300,000{{Nbsp}}years ago [[History of human migration|humans have since been migrating]] and with the advent of agriculture in the 10th millennium BC increasingly [[Sedentism|settling]] Earth's land.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Introduction to Human Evolution {{!}} The Smithsonian Institution's Human Origins Program |url=http://humanorigins.si.edu/education/introduction-human-evolution |access-date=9 November 2023 |website=humanorigins.si.edu |date=11 July 2022 |language=en |archive-date=8 November 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231108211808/https://humanorigins.si.edu/education/introduction-human-evolution |url-status=live }}</ref> In the 20th century [[Antarctica]] had been the last continent to see a first and until today limited human presence. |
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[[World population|Human population]] has since the 19th century grown exponentially to seven billion in the early 2010s,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://news.yahoo.com/various-7-billionth-babies-celebrated-worldwide-064439018.html |title=Various '7 billionth' babies celebrated worldwide |date=31 October 2011|agency=Associated Press|access-date=31 October 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20111031182613/http://news.yahoo.com/various-7-billionth-babies-celebrated-worldwide-064439018.html |work=Yahoo News |last1=Gomez |first1=Jim |last2=Sullivan|first2=Tim|archive-date=31 October 2011}}</ref> and is projected to peak at around ten billion in the second half of the 21st century.<ref name="Harvey-2020">{{Cite news |last=Harvey |first=Fiona |author-link=Fiona Harvey |date=15 July 2020 |title=World population in 2100 could be 2 billion below UN forecasts, study suggests |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/15/world-population-in-2100-could-be-2-billion-below-un-forecasts-study-suggests |url-access=registration |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200904212947/https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jul/15/world-population-in-2100-could-be-2-billion-below-un-forecasts-study-suggests |archive-date=4 September 2020 |access-date=18 September 2020 |work=The Guardian |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> Most of the growth is expected to take place in [[sub-Saharan Africa]].<ref name="Harvey-2020" /> |
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===Scientific accuracy=== |
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The educational community has shown some interest in using ''Spore'' to teach students about evolution and biology.<ref>{{cite news|title=Game Enables Users to Guide Evolution On Screen|author=Sean Cavanagh|date=September 12, 2008|newspaper=Education Week|url=http://www.edweek.org/login.html?source=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edweek.org%2Fsearch.html%3Fqs%3Dspore&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edweek.org%2Few%2Farticles%2F2008%2F09%2F12%2F04spore.h28.html%3Fqs%3Dspore&levelId=2100&baddebt=false|access-date=November 9, 2008|archive-date=July 5, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090705055913/http://www.edweek.org/login.html?source=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edweek.org%2Fsearch.html%3Fqs%3Dspore&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.edweek.org%2Few%2Farticles%2F2008%2F09%2F12%2F04spore.h28.html%3Fqs%3Dspore&levelId=2100&baddebt=false|url-status=live}}</ref> However, the game's player-driven evolution mechanism differs from the [[theory of evolution]] in some key ways: |
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* The different species that appear in ''Spore'' each have different ancestors, not shared ones, and the player's creature's "evolutionary" path is linear instead of branched: one species can only evolve into one other species, as opposed to into many related species. |
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* In ''Spore'', the player's creature evolves along a path towards intelligence, instead of evolving solely in response to random genetic changes and pressure from its environment. In real world evolution, there are many possible evolutionary pathways, and there is no endpoint except extinction. (However a change in environment most likely will cause the player to change their creature to help survive in a new environment e.g. growing long arms to reach fruits on trees.) |
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* In the real world, an organism's environment shapes its evolution by allowing some individuals to reproduce more and causing other individuals to die. In ''Spore'', the only things shaping the way the creatures change over time are game statistics and "whatever the player thinks looks cool."<ref name="sciencemag">{{Cite journal |author=Bohannon |first=John |author-link=John Bohannon |date=October 24, 2008 |title=Flunking Spore |url=http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/322/5901/531b |url-status=dead |journal=[[Science (journal)|Science]] |volume=322 |issue=5901 |pages=531b |doi=10.1126/science.322.5901.531b |pmid=18948523 |s2cid=19962707 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100807171832/http://www.sciencemag.org/cgi/content/full/322/5901/531b |archive-date=August 7, 2010 |access-date=November 8, 2008 |issn=0036-8075 }}</ref> |
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* In ''Spore'', creatures have to collect new parts from other creatures or from skeletal remains in order to evolve those parts themselves. In reality, this does not occur, although in some cases organisms can [[Natural competence|appropriate the genes]] of other species. Bacteria and viruses can transfer genes from one species of macroscopic organism to another. However, this transfer is limited to single or occasionally multiple [[allele]]s; it never involves complex organs like mouths or limbs, as in ''Spore''. |
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* In real evolution, microorganisms grew in size due to the rise of cyanobacteria, or photosynthesizing cells, rather than solely the consumption of additional food, as in ''Spore''. |
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Distribution and [[Population density#Human population density|density of human population]] varies greatly around the world with the majority living in south to eastern Asia and 90% inhabiting only the [[Northern Hemisphere]] of Earth,<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.businessinsider.com/90-of-people-live-in-the-northern-hemisphere-2012-5|title=MAP OF THE DAY: Pretty Much Everyone Lives In The Northern Hemisphere|date=4 May 2012|work=Business Insider|last1=Lutz|first1=Ashley|access-date=5 January 2019|archive-date=19 January 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180119181108/http://www.businessinsider.com/90-of-people-live-in-the-northern-hemisphere-2012-5|url-status=live}}</ref> partly due to the [[Land hemisphere|hemispherical predominance of the world's land mass]], with 68% of the world's land mass being in the Northern Hemisphere.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://phl.upr.edu/library/notes/distributionoflandmassesofthepaleo-earth |title=Distribution of landmasses of the Paleo-Earth |first1=Abel |last1=Méndez |author-link1=Abel Méndez |date=6 July 2011 |publisher=University of Puerto Rico at Arecibo |access-date=5 January 2019 |archive-date=6 January 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190106010959/http://phl.upr.edu/library/notes/distributionoflandmassesofthepaleo-earth |url-status=dead }}</ref> Furthermore, since the 19th century humans have increasingly converged into urban areas with the majority living in urban areas by the 21st century.<ref name="OWID_urbanization_2019" /> |
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In October 2008, [[John Bohannon]] of ''[[Science (journal)|Science]]'' magazine assembled a team to review the game's portrayal of evolution and other scientific concepts. Evolutionary biologists [[T. Ryan Gregory]] of the [[University of Guelph]] and [[Niles Eldredge|Niles Elredge]] of the [[American Museum of Natural History]] reviewed the Cell and Creature stages. [[William Sims Bainbridge]], a sociologist from the [[National Science Foundation|U.S. National Science Foundation]], reviewed the Tribe and Civilization stages. [[NASA]]'s Miles Smith reviewed the Space Stage.<ref name=sciencemag /> The ''Science'' team evaluated ''Spore'' on twenty-two subjects. The game's grades ranged from a single A in [[galaxies|galactic structure]] and a B+ in [[sociology]] to Fs in [[mutation]], [[sexual selection]], [[natural selection]], [[genetics]], and [[genetic drift]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://scienceguild.org/wiki/index.php?title=Spore|title=Spore|author=John Bohannon|access-date=November 7, 2008|publisher=scienceguild.org|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081028184213/http://scienceguild.org/wiki/index.php?title=Spore|archive-date=October 28, 2008|df=mdy-all}}</ref> In addition, [[Yale University|Yale]] evolutionary biologists [[Thomas J. Near|Thomas Near]] and Thomas Prum found ''Spore'' fun to play and admired its ability to get people to think about evolutionary questions, but consider the game's evolutionary mechanism to be "severely messed up".<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/02/science/02spor.html?ex=1378008000&en=60532acadfc7910b&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink|title=Gaming Evolves|author=Carl Zimmer|date=September 1, 2008|journal=The New York Times|access-date=February 25, 2017|archive-date=July 7, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170707095702/http://www.nytimes.com/2008/09/02/science/02spor.html?ex=1378008000&en=60532acadfc7910b&ei=5124&partner=permalink&exprod=permalink|url-status=live}}</ref> With this noted, study of how players make meaning with the game suggest that the game prompts more sophisticated thinking about evolution than the model the game presents.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Owens|first1=Trevor|title=Teaching intelligent design or sparking interest in science? What players do with Will Wright's Spore|journal=Cultural Studies of Science Education|date=2012|volume=7|issue=4|pages=857–868|doi=10.1007/s11422-012-9383-5|bibcode=2012CSSE....7..857O|s2cid=146354006}}</ref> |
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Beyond Earth's surface humans have lived on a temporary basis, with only a few special-purpose deep [[underground living|underground]] and [[underwater living|underwater]] presences and a few [[space station]]s. The human population virtually completely remains on Earth's surface, fully depending on Earth and the environment it sustains. Since the second half of the 20th century, some hundreds of humans have temporarily [[List of space travellers by first flight|stayed beyond Earth]], a tiny fraction of whom have reached another celestial body, the Moon.<ref name="shayler_vis2005" /><ref>{{Cite news|last=Holmes|first=Oliver|date=19 November 2018|title=Space: how far have we gone – and where are we going?|language=en-GB|work=The Guardian|url=https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/nov/19/space-how-far-have-we-gone-and-where-are-we-going|access-date=10 October 2020|issn=0261-3077|archive-date=6 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201006041822/https://www.theguardian.com/science/2018/nov/19/space-how-far-have-we-gone-and-where-are-we-going|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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According to ''[[Seed magazine|Seed]]'' magazine, the original concept for ''Spore'' was more scientifically accurate than the version that was eventually released. It included more realistic artwork for the single-celled organisms and a rejection of [[faster-than-light travel]] as impossible. However, these were removed to make the game more friendly to casual users.<ref name="seed">{{Cite journal |author=Robertson |first=Margaret |date=September 8, 2008 |title=The Creation Simulation |url=http://seedmagazine.com/news/2008/09/the_creation_simulation.php |url-status=unfit |journal=[[Seed (magazine)|Seed]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081108085604/http://www.seedmagazine.com/news/2008/09/the_creation_simulation.php |archive-date=November 8, 2008 |access-date=November 9, 2008 |df=mdy-all}}</ref> While ''Seed'' does not entirely reject ''Spore'' as a teaching tool, admiring its ability to show the user experimentation, observation, and scale, biological concepts did not fare so well: |
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Earth has been subject to extensive human settlement, and humans have developed diverse societies and cultures. Most of Earth's land has been territorially claimed since the 19th century by [[sovereign state]]s (countries) separated by [[Border|political borders]], and [[List of sovereign states|205 such states]] exist today,<ref>{{cite web | title = Member States <nowiki>|</nowiki> United Nations | url = https://www.un.org/en/about-us/member-states | publisher = United Nations | access-date = 3 January 2024 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20230301201032/https://www.un.org/en/about-us/member-states | archive-date = 1 March 2023 | url-status=live}}</ref> with only parts of Antarctica and a few small regions [[Terra nullius|remaining unclaimed]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lloyd|first1=John|author-link1=John Lloyd (producer)|title=The Discretely Plumper Second QI Book of General Ignorance|last2=Mitchinson|first2=John|author-link2=John Mitchinson (researcher)|publisher=Faber & Faber |year=2010|isbn=978-0-571-29072-7|pages=116–117}}</ref> Most of these states together form the [[United Nations]], the leading worldwide [[intergovernmental organization]],<ref>{{cite book|last1=Smith|first1=Courtney B.|url=https://www.rienner.com/uploads/47d958f8700e6.pdf|title=Politics and Process at the United Nations: The Global Dance|publisher=Lynne Reiner|year=2006|isbn=978-1-58826-323-0|pages=1–4|access-date=14 October 2020|archive-date=17 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201017080431/https://www.rienner.com/uploads/47d958f8700e6.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> which extends human governance [[Law of the Sea|over the ocean]] and [[Antarctic Treaty System|Antarctica]], and therefore all of Earth. |
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{{blockquote|The snag is that ''Spore'' didn't just jettison half its science—it replaced it with systems and ideas that run the risk of being actively misleading. Scientists brought in to evaluate the game for potential education projects recoiled as it became increasingly evident that the game broke many more scientific laws than it obeyed. Those unwilling to comment publicly speak privately of grave concerns about a game which seems to further the idea of [[intelligent design]] under the badge of science, and they bristle at its willingness to use words like "evolution" and "mutation" in entirely misleading ways.<ref name=seed />}} |
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=== Natural resources and land use === |
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[[Will Wright (game designer)|Will Wright]] argues that developers "put the player in the role of an intelligent designer"<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2008-09-08-spore_qa_N.htm | title=USA Today Interview | newspaper=USA Today | first=Mike | last=Snider | date=September 8, 2008 | access-date=May 23, 2010 | archive-date=July 10, 2010 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100710193004/http://www.usatoday.com/tech/gaming/2008-09-08-spore_qa_N.htm | url-status=live }}</ref> because of the lack of emotional engagement of early prototypes focusing on mutation. Intelligent design advocate [[Michael Behe]] of [[Lehigh University]] reviewed the game and said that ''Spore'' "has nothing to do with real science or real evolution—neither Darwinian nor intelligent design."<ref name=sciencemag/> |
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{{Main|Natural resource|Land use}} |
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[[File:Global-land-use-graphic.png|thumb|upright=1.3|Earth's land use for human agriculture in 2019]] |
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Earth has resources that have been exploited by humans.<ref>{{cite news|title=What are the consequences of the overexploitation of natural resources?|work=[[Iberdrola]]|url=https://www.iberdrola.com/environment/overexploitation-of-natural-resources|access-date=28 June 2019|archive-date=27 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190627223353/https://www.iberdrola.com/environment/overexploitation-of-natural-resources|url-status=live}}</ref> Those termed [[non-renewable resource]]s, such as [[fossil fuel]]s, are only replenished over geological timescales.<ref>{{cite journal|date=20 April 2016|title=13. Exploitation of Natural Resources|url=https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/92-826-5409-5/page013new.html|journal=[[European Environment Agency]]|publisher=[[European Union]]|access-date=28 June 2019|archive-date=27 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190627223352/https://www.eea.europa.eu/publications/92-826-5409-5/page013new.html|url-status=live}}</ref> Large deposits of fossil fuels are obtained from Earth's crust, consisting of coal, petroleum, and natural gas.<ref>{{cite news|last=Huebsch|first=Russell|date=29 September 2017|title=How Are Fossil Fuels Extracted From the Ground?|work=Sciencing|publisher=[[Leaf Group]] Media|url=https://sciencing.com/how-are-fossil-fuels-extracted-from-the-ground-12227026.html|access-date=28 June 2019|archive-date=27 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190627224408/https://sciencing.com/how-are-fossil-fuels-extracted-from-the-ground-12227026.html|url-status=live}}</ref> These deposits are used by humans both for energy production and as feedstock for chemical production.<ref>{{cite web|title=Electricity generation – what are the options?|url=http://www.world-nuclear.org/nuclear-basics/electricity-generation-what-are-the-options.aspx|access-date=28 June 2019|work=[[World Nuclear Association]]|archive-date=27 June 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190627224414/http://www.world-nuclear.org/nuclear-basics/electricity-generation-what-are-the-options.aspx|url-status=live}}</ref> Mineral [[ore]] bodies have also been formed within the crust through a process of [[ore genesis]], resulting from actions of [[magmatism]], erosion, and plate tectonics.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Brimhall|first1=George|date=May 1991|title=The Genesis of Ores|url=https://www.jstor.org/stable/24936905|journal=Scientific American|publisher=Nature America|volume=264|pages=84–91|doi=10.1038/scientificamerican0591-84|jstor=24936905|access-date=13 October 2020|number=5|bibcode=1991SciAm.264e..84B|archive-date=6 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201106131241/https://www.jstor.org/stable/24936905|url-status=live}}</ref> These metals and other elements are extracted by mining, a process which often brings environmental and health damage.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Lunine|first=Jonathan I. |author-link=Jonathan Lunine|title=Earth: Evolution of a Habitable World|publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-521-61519-8 |edition=second|pages=292–294}}</ref> |
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Earth's biosphere produces many useful biological products for humans, including food, wood, [[pharmaceutical]]s, oxygen, and the recycling of organic waste. The land-based ecosystem depends upon [[topsoil]] and fresh water, and the oceanic ecosystem depends on dissolved nutrients washed down from the land.<ref name="science299_5607_673" /> In 2019, {{convert|39|e6km2|e6sqmi|abbr=unit}} of Earth's land surface consisted of forest and woodlands, {{convert|12|e6km2|e6sqmi|abbr=unit}} was shrub and grassland, {{convert|40|e6km2|e6sqmi|abbr=unit}} were used for animal feed production and grazing, and {{convert|11|e6km2|e6sqmi|abbr=unit}} were cultivated as croplands.<ref name="OWID_2019" /> Of the 12{{En dash}}14% of ice-free land that is used for croplands, 2 [[percentage point]]s were irrigated in 2015.<ref>{{Cite book |author=IPCC |title=IPCC Special Report on Climate Change and Land |year=2019 |page=8 |chapter=Summary for Policymakers |author-link=IPCC <!-- |display-authors= 4 --> |chapter-url=https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/sites/4/2019/12/02_Summary-for-Policymakers_SPM.pdf |access-date=25 September 2020 |archive-date=17 February 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200217135758/https://www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/sites/4/2019/12/02_Summary-for-Policymakers_SPM.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> Humans use [[building material]]s to construct shelters.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Tate|first1=Nikki|author-link=Nikki Tate|title=Take Shelter: At Home Around the World|last2=Tate-Stratton|first2=Dani|year=2014|publisher=Orca Book Publishers|isbn=978-1-4598-0742-6|page=6}}</ref> |
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==Expansions== |
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{{Anchor|Spore Creepy and Cute}}''Spore Creepy & Cute Parts Pack'' is an expansion pack that was released in late 2008, it includes new parts and color schemes for creature creation. Among the new parts were additional mouths and eyes, as well as "[[insect]] legs." The pack also included new test-drive animations and backgrounds.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Spore Creepy and Cute Parts Pack|url=https://www.spore.com/what/creepycute|access-date=2020-06-28|website=www.spore.com|archive-date=June 30, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200630174055/https://www.spore.com/what/creepycute|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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=== Humans and the environment === |
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''[[Spore Galactic Adventures]]'' was released on June 23, 2009. It allows the player's creature to beam onto planets, rather than using a hologram. It also adds an "Adventure Creator" which allows for the creation of missions and goals to share with the ''Spore'' community. Creatures can add new abilities, including weaponry, tanks, and crew members, as well as a section of the adventure creator that involves editing a planet and using 60 new flora parts.<ref name="wordpress1">{{cite web |title=Spore Expansion: Galactic Adventures |url=http://sporedum.wordpress.com/spore-expansion-galactic-adventure/ |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100512061108/http://sporedum.wordpress.com/spore-expansion-galactic-adventure/ |archive-date=May 12, 2010 |access-date=March 13, 2009 |website=Sporedum.wordpress.com}}</ref> |
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{{Main|Human impact on the environment|Climate change}} |
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[[File:Global Temperature And Forces With Fahrenheit.svg|alt=The graph from 1880 to 2020 shows natural drivers exhibiting fluctuations of about 0.3 degrees Celsius. Human drivers steadily increase by 0.3 degrees over 100 years to 1980, then steeply by 0.8 degrees more over the past 40 years.|thumb|upright=1.3|Change in average surface air temperature and drivers for that change. Human activity has caused increased temperatures, with natural forces adding some variability.<ref>{{Cite book |author=IPCC |author-link=IPCC |year=2021 |title=Climate Change 2021: The Physical Science Basis |series=Contribution of Working Group I to the [[IPCC Sixth Assessment Report|Sixth Assessment Report]] of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change |display-editors=4 |editor1-first=V. |editor1-last=Masson-Delmotte |editor2-first=P. |editor2-last=Zhai |editor3-first=A. |editor3-last=Pirani |editor4-first=S. L. |editor4-last=Connors |editor5-first=C. |editor5-last=Péan |editor6-first=S. |editor6-last=Berger |editor7-first=N. |editor7-last=Cau |editor8-first=Y. |editor8-last=Chen |editor9-first=L. |editor9-last=Goldfarb |editor10-first=M. I. |editor10-last=Gomis |publisher=Cambridge University Press (In Press) |place=Cambridge, United Kingdom and New York, NY, US |url=https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGI_Full_Report.pdf |at=SPM-7 |access-date=2 June 2022 |archive-date=13 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210813201719/https://www.ipcc.ch/report/ar6/wg1/downloads/report/IPCC_AR6_WGI_Full_Report.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref>]] |
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Human activities have impacted Earth's environments. Through activities such as the burning of fossil fuels, humans have been increasing the amount of [[greenhouse gas]]es in the atmosphere, altering [[Earth's energy budget]] and climate.<ref name=ConsensusOnConsensus /><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/EnergyBalance |title=Climate and Earth's Energy Budget |first1=Rebecca |last1=Lindsey |date=14 January 2009 |website=Earth Observatory |publisher=[[NASA]] |language=en |access-date=19 December 2021 |archive-date=2 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191002090444/https://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/features/EnergyBalance |url-status=live }}</ref> It is estimated that global temperatures in the year 2020 were {{convert|1.2|C-change}} warmer than the preindustrial baseline.<ref>{{cite web|date=14 January 2021|title=The State of the Global Climate 2020|url=https://public-old.wmo.int/en/our-mandate/climate/wmo-statement-state-of-global-climate|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231129232510/https://public-old.wmo.int/en/our-mandate/climate/wmo-statement-state-of-global-climate|url-status=dead|archive-date=29 November 2023|access-date=3 March 2021|website=World Meteorological Organization |language=en}}</ref> This increase in temperature, known as [[global warming]], has contributed to the [[Retreat of glaciers since 1850|melting of glaciers]], [[Sea level rise|rising sea levels]], increased risk of drought and wildfires, and migration of species to colder areas.<ref name="Global Warming Effects" /> |
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{{Anchor|Spore Bot Parts Pack}}''Spore Bot Parts Pack'' is an expansion part of an EA promotion with [[Dr. Pepper|Dr Pepper]] in early 2010, 14 new robotic parts for ''Spore'' creatures were released in a new patch (1.06.0000) available only from the Dr. Pepper website.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Dr Pepper - Promotions|url=http://www.drpepper.com/promotions/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100130090110/http://www.drpepper.com/promotions/|archive-date=January 30, 2010|access-date=January 30, 2010|website=[[Dr Pepper]]}}</ref> Codes found on certain bottles of Dr Pepper allow the player to redeem these parts, albeit only for the US, excluding Maine. It was only available for Windows PC, and was eventually extended to Canadian residents. The promotion ended in late 2011. The ''Spore Bot Parts Pack'' has caused controversy within the ''Spore'' community, because of many problems with the download and its exclusive nature. |
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The concept of [[planetary boundaries]] was introduced to quantify humanity's impact on Earth. Of the nine identified boundaries, five have been crossed: [[Biodiversity loss|Biosphere integrity]], climate change, chemical pollution, destruction of wild habitats and the [[nitrogen cycle]] are thought to have passed the safe threshold.<ref name="Boundaries">{{cite web |title=We've crossed four of nine planetary boundaries. What does this mean? |website=[[Mongabay]] |last1=DiGirolamo |first1=Mike |date=8 September 2021 |url=https://news.mongabay.com/2021/09/weve-crossed-four-of-nine-planetary-boundaries-what-does-this-mean/ |access-date=27 January 2022 |archive-date=27 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127200649/https://news.mongabay.com/2021/09/weve-crossed-four-of-nine-planetary-boundaries-what-does-this-mean/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |last1=Carrington |first1=Damien |title=Chemical pollution has passed safe limit for humanity, say scientists |url=https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/18/chemical-pollution-has-passed-safe-limit-for-humanity-say-scientists |work=The Guardian |date=18 January 2022 |language=en |access-date=27 January 2022 |archive-date=12 April 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220412082940/https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2022/jan/18/chemical-pollution-has-passed-safe-limit-for-humanity-say-scientists |url-status=live }}</ref> As of 2018, no country meets the basic needs of its population without transgressing planetary boundaries. It is thought possible to provide all basic physical needs globally within sustainable levels of resource use.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=O'Neill|first1=Daniel W.|last2=Fanning|first2=Andrew L.|last3=Lamb|first3=William F.|last4=Steinberger|first4=Julia K.|author4-link=Julia Steinberger|date=2018|title=A good life for all within planetary boundaries|url=https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-018-0021-4|journal=Nature Sustainability|language=en|volume=1|issue=2|pages=88–95|doi=10.1038/s41893-018-0021-4|bibcode=2018NatSu...1...88O|s2cid=169679920|issn=2398-9629|access-date=30 January 2022|archive-date=1 February 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220201214934/https://www.nature.com/articles/s41893-018-0021-4/|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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==Spinoffs== |
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''[[Spore Creature Creator]]'' is the creature creator element of ''Spore'' released prior to the full game, and was a demo for Spore. |
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Two spinoffs were released for the [[Nintendo DS]], titled ''[[Spore Creatures]]'' and "[[Spore Hero Arena]]", both somewhat focusing on the Creature phase. The former is a 2.5D story-based [[role-playing game]] as the player controls a creature kidnapped by a UFO and forced to survive in a strange world, with elements of ''[[Nintendogs]]'',<ref>{{cite web |title=''Spore Creatures'' preview |url=http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3166218 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120718222450/http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3166218 |archive-date=2012-07-18 |website=[[1Up Network]]}}</ref> while the latter is a 3D role playing game heavily focusing on a fighting mechanic.<ref name="joystiq">{{cite web|author=Dobson, Jason|date=May 12, 2009|title=EA officially details ''Spore'' Hero, ''Spore'' Hero Arena|url=http://www.joystiq.com/2009/05/12/ea-officially-details-spore-hero-spore-hero-arena/|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090518013615/http://www.joystiq.com/2009/05/12/ea-officially-details-spore-hero-spore-hero-arena|archive-date=May 18, 2009|access-date=June 7, 2009|work=joystiq.com|df=mdy-all}}</ref> A [[Wii]] spinoff of the game now known as ''[[Spore Hero]]'' has been mentioned by Will Wright several times, such as in his October 26, 2007 interview with ''[[The Guardian]]''.<ref name="guardian">{{cite news | title=Q&A: Will Wright, creator of the Sims | url=https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2007/oct/26/willwright | access-date=February 15, 2008 | work=The Guardian | location=London | first=Bobbie | last=Johnson | date=October 26, 2007 | archive-date=October 13, 2013 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131013050940/http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2007/oct/26/willwright | url-status=live }}</ref> Buechner confirmed it, revealing that plans for a Wii version were underway, and that the game would be built from the ground up and would take advantage of the [[Wii Remote]], stating, "We're not porting it over. You know, we're still so early in design and prototyping that I don't know where we're going to end up, so I don't want to lead you down one path. But suffice to say that it's being developed with the Wii controls and technology in mind."<ref name=autogenerated2>{{cite web|author=Oli Welsh|date=February 13, 2008|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/article.php?article_id=92666|title=Europe is Priority for Spore|website=[[Eurogamer]]|access-date=March 1, 2006|archive-date=January 25, 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220125025729/https://www.eurogamer.net/articles/europe-is-the-priority-for-spore|url-status=live}}</ref> Eventually, a spin-off under the title "Spore Hero" was announced, an adventure game built ground up for the Wii with a heavier focus on evolution.<ref name="kotaku">{{cite web|author=Kotaku|date=January 22, 2009|url=http://kotaku.com/5136767/four-new-spore-titles-unveiled-for-ds-wii-pc|title=Four New ''Spore'' Titles Unveiled For DS, Wii, PC|website=Kotaku|access-date=January 22, 2009|archive-date=January 24, 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090124014225/http://kotaku.com/5136767/four-new-spore-titles-unveiled-for-ds-wii-pc|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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== Cultural and historical viewpoint == |
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''[[Spore Origins]]'' is the mobile phone/[[iPhone]]<ref name="Apple iPhone SDK Event">{{cite web|url=https://www.engadget.com/2008/03/06/live-from-apples-iphone-press-conference/|title=Live from Apple's iPhone SDK press conference – Engadget|date=March 6, 2008|publisher=[[Electronic Arts]]|access-date=March 6, 2008|archive-date=January 27, 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170127165446/https://www.engadget.com/2008/03/06/live-from-apples-iphone-press-conference/|url-status=live}}</ref>/[[iPod]]<ref name="offsite">{{cite web|url=http://www.eamobile.com/Web/US/en/mobile-game/PromotionAction/promotion-promotionCode__.__1214326402170__..__promotionItemCode__.__1212425798753|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080627125653/http://www.eamobile.com/Web/US/en/mobile-game/PromotionAction/promotion-promotionCode__.__1214326402170__..__promotionItemCode__.__1212425798753|archive-date=June 27, 2008|title=Official ''Spore Origins'' site|work=[[Electronic Arts]]}}</ref> spinoff of ''Spore'', and as with the Nintendo DS version, focuses on a single phase of gameplay; in this case, the cell phase. The simplified game allows players to try to survive as a multicellular organism in a [[tide pool]], similar to ''[[Flow (video game)|Flow]]''.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3166260|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120719105230/http://www.1up.com/do/previewPage?cId=3166260|url-status=dead|archive-date=2012-07-19|title=1Up ''Spore Mobile'' preview''}}</ref> The iPhone version takes advantage of the device's touch capabilities and 3-axis accelerometer.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080306-live-coverage-of-the-iphone-software-roadmap-announcement.html|title=Live coverage of the iPhone Software Roadmap announcement|access-date=March 12, 2008|date=March 6, 2008|archive-date=March 11, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080311083420/http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20080306-live-coverage-of-the-iphone-software-roadmap-announcement.html|url-status=live}}</ref> A sequel to ''Spore Origins'' was released, known as ''Spore Creatures'' (unrelated to [[Nintendo DS]] ''[[Spore Creatures]]''). The game was a recreation of the Creature Stage, and was released for mobile phones.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Breckon |first=Nick |date=2009-01-22 |title=Three New Spore Games Announced: Spore Hero, Arena, Creature Keeper |url=https://www.shacknews.com/article/56876/three-new-spore-games-announced |access-date=2023-11-18 |website=[[Shacknews]] |language=en |archive-date=November 18, 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231118134840/https://www.shacknews.com/article/56876/three-new-spore-games-announced |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Spore Creatures by EA mobile|url=https://youtube/tJHP71l8RIA|access-date=February 10, 2010|date=February 10, 2010|work=EA Mobile games}}{{Dead link|date=April 2024 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> |
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{{Main|Earth in culture|Earth in science fiction}} |
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[[File:Tracy Caldwell Dyson in Cupola ISS.jpg|alt=Woman seeing the Earth from space through a window|thumb|[[Tracy Caldwell Dyson]], a [[NASA]] astronaut, observing Earth from the [[Cupola (ISS module)|''Cupola'' module]] at the [[International Space Station]] on 11 September 2010|250x250px]] |
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[[Culture|Human cultures]] have developed many views of the planet.<ref name="NYT-20181224b">{{cite news |last=Widmer |first=Ted |author-link=Edward L. Widmer|title=What Did Plato Think the Earth Looked Like? – For millenniums, humans have tried to imagine the world in space. Fifty years ago, we finally saw it. |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/24/opinion/plato-earth-christmas-eve-apollo-8.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/24/opinion/plato-earth-christmas-eve-apollo-8.html |archive-date=1 January 2022 |url-access=limited |date=24 December 2018 |work=[[The New York Times]] |access-date=25 December 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref> The standard [[astronomical symbols]] of Earth are a quartered circle, [[File:Earth symbol (fixed width).svg|🜨]],<ref name="liungman2004" /> representing the [[four corners of the world]], and a [[globus cruciger]], [[File:globus cruciger (fixed width).svg|♁]]. Earth is sometimes [[Personification|personified]] as a [[deity]]. In many cultures it is a [[mother goddess]] that is also the primary [[fertility deity]].<ref name="Stookey-2004">{{Cite book |title=Thematic Guide to World Mythology |last=Stookey |first=Lorena Laura |publisher=Greenwood Press |year=2004 |isbn=978-0-313-31505-3 |location=Westport, CN |pages=[https://archive.org/details/thematicguidetow00lore/page/114 114–115] |url=https://archive.org/details/thematicguidetow00lore/page/114}}</ref> [[Creation myth]]s in many religions involve the creation of Earth by a supernatural deity or deities.<ref name="Stookey-2004" /> The [[Gaia hypothesis]], developed in the mid-20th century, compared Earth's environments and life as a single self-regulating organism leading to broad stabilization of the conditions of habitability.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Lovelock|first1=James E.|author-link=James Lovelock|title=The Vanishing Face of Gaia |publisher=Basic Books|year=2009|page=255|isbn=978-0-465-01549-8}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|last=Lovelock|first=James E.|author-link=James Lovelock |year=1972 |title=Gaia as seen through the atmosphere|journal=Atmospheric Environment |volume=6|issue=8 |pages=579–580|bibcode=1972AtmEn...6..579L |doi=10.1016/0004-6981(72)90076-5 |issn=1352-2310}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lovelock |first1=J.E. |last2=Margulis |first2=L. |author2-link=Lynn Margulis |date=1974 |title=Atmospheric homeostasis by and for the biosphere: the gaia hypothesis |journal=Tellus A |volume=26 |issue=1–2 |pages=2–10 |doi=10.3402/tellusa.v26i1-2.9731 |doi-access=free |s2cid=129803613 |language=en |bibcode=1974Tell...26....2L }}</ref> |
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[[Timeline of first images of Earth from space|Images of Earth taken from space]], particularly during the Apollo program, have been credited with altering the way that people viewed the planet that they lived on, called the [[overview effect]], emphasizing its beauty, uniqueness and apparent fragility.<ref>{{cite news|last=Overbye|first=Dennis|author-link=Dennis Overbye|date=21 December 2018|title=Apollo 8's Earthrise: The Shot Seen Round the World – Half a century ago today, a photograph from the moon helped humans rediscover Earth.|work=[[The New York Times]]|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/21/science/earthrise-moon-apollo-nasa.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/21/science/earthrise-moon-apollo-nasa.html |archive-date=1 January 2022 |url-access=limited|access-date=24 December 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last1=Boulton|first1=Matthew Myer|last2=Heithaus|first2=Joseph|date=24 December 2018|title=We Are All Riders on the Same Planet – Seen from space 50 years ago, Earth appeared as a gift to preserve and cherish. What happened?|work=[[The New York Times]] |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/24/opinion/earth-space-christmas-eve-apollo-8.html |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220101/https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/24/opinion/earth-space-christmas-eve-apollo-8.html |archive-date=1 January 2022 |url-access=limited|access-date=25 December 2018}}{{cbignore}}</ref> In particular, this caused a realization of the scope of effects from human activity on Earth's environment. Enabled by science, particularly [[Earth observation]],<ref>{{cite web |title=ESPI Evening Event "Seeing Our Planet Whole: A Cultural and Ethical View of Earth Observation" |website=ESPI – European Space Policy Institute |date=7 October 2021 |url=https://espi.or.at/news/espi-evening-event-seeing-our-planet-whole-a-cultural-and-ethical-view-of-earth-observation |access-date=27 January 2022 |archive-date=27 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127201806/https://espi.or.at/news/espi-evening-event-seeing-our-planet-whole-a-cultural-and-ethical-view-of-earth-observation |url-status=live }}</ref> humans have started to take [[Environmentalism|action on environmental issues]] globally,<ref>{{cite web |title=Two early images of Earth that bolstered the environmental movement – CBC Radio |website=CBC |date=16 April 2020 |url=https://www.cbc.ca/radio/quirks/two-early-images-of-earth-that-bolstered-the-environmental-movement-1.5534843 |access-date=27 January 2022 |archive-date=27 January 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220127201802/https://www.cbc.ca/radio/quirks/two-early-images-of-earth-that-bolstered-the-environmental-movement-1.5534843 |url-status=live }}</ref> acknowledging the impact of humans and the [[Ecological network|interconnectedness of Earth's environments]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://academic.oup.com/fordham-scholarship-online/book/55509 |title=Earthly Things: Immanence, New Materialisms, and Planetary Thinking |date=2023-10-03 |publisher=Fordham University Press |isbn=978-1-5315-0413-7 |language=en |doi=10.5422/fordham/9781531503055.001.0001 |editor-last1=Bray |editor-last2=Eaton |editor-last3=Bauman |editor-first1=Karen |editor-first2=Heather |editor-first3=Whitney }}</ref> |
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For a time, [[Xbox 360]] and [[PlayStation 3]] versions of ''Spore'' were under consideration.<ref name="gamersg" /><ref name=360interview>{{cite web|url=http://www.videogamer.com/xbox360/spore/preview-774.html|title=Spore is set for release on PC and DS on 7 September 2008, with a Wii, Xbox 360 and PS3 version to follow|date=February 13, 2008|access-date=May 20, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080719230738/http://www.videogamer.com/xbox360/spore/preview-774.html|archive-date=July 19, 2008|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> Frank Gibeau, president of Electronic Arts' Games Label announced that the publisher might use the underlying technology of ''Spore'' to develop electric software titles, such as [[action game|action]], [[real-time strategy]], and [[role-playing game]]s for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, and Wii.<ref name="gibeau">{{cite web|url=http://kotaku.com/5045855/ea-considers-licensing-spore-as-a-platform-for-developers|title=EA Considers Licensing ''Spore'' As a Platform For Developers|work=[[Kotaku]]|author=Brian Crecente|date=September 5, 2008|access-date=September 5, 2008|archive-date=September 5, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080905231603/http://kotaku.com/5045855/ea-considers-licensing-spore-as-a-platform-for-developers|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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Scientific investigation has resulted in several culturally transformative shifts in people's view of the planet. Initial belief in a [[flat Earth]] was gradually displaced in [[Ancient Greece]] by the idea of a [[spherical Earth]], which was attributed to both the philosophers [[Pythagoras]] and [[Parmenides]].<ref>{{cite book |last=Kahn |first=Charles H. |author-link=Charles H. Kahn |date=2001 |title=Pythagoras and the Pythagoreans: A Brief History |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=GKUtAwAAQBAJ&q=Pythagoreanism&pg=PA72 |location=Indianapolis, IN and Cambridge, England |publisher=Hackett Publishing Company |isbn=978-0-87220-575-8 |page=53 |access-date=9 August 2023 |archive-date=14 December 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231214140222/https://books.google.com/books?id=GKUtAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA72&q=Pythagoreanism#v=snippet&q=Pythagoreanism&f=false |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last=Garwood|first=Christine|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/184822945|title=Flat earth : the history of an infamous idea|date=2008|publisher=Thomas Dunne Books|isbn=978-0-312-38208-7|edition=1st|location=New York|oclc=184822945|pages=26–31|access-date=6 November 2020|archive-date=31 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210331100434/https://www.worldcat.org/title/flat-earth-the-history-of-an-infamous-idea/oclc/184822945|url-status=live}}</ref> Earth was generally believed to be [[Geocentric model|the center of the universe]] until the 16th century, when scientists first concluded that it was [[heliocentrism|a moving object]], one of the planets of the Solar System.<ref name="arnett20060716" /> |
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''[[Darkspore]]'' was an action role-playing game that utilized the same creature-editing mechanics. It was released in April 2011 for Microsoft Windows. The game was shut down in March 2016. |
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It was only during the 19th century that geologists realized [[Earth's age]] was at least many millions of years.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Physical Geology: Exploring the Earth |last1=Monroe |first1=James |publisher=Thomson Brooks/Cole |year=2007 |isbn=978-0-495-01148-4 |pages=263–265 |last2=Wicander |first2=Reed |last3=Hazlett |first3=Richard}}</ref> [[Lord Kelvin]] used [[thermodynamics]] to estimate the age of Earth to be between 20 million and 400 million years in 1864, sparking a vigorous debate on the subject; it was only when radioactivity and [[Radiometric dating|radioactive dating]] were discovered in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that a reliable mechanism for determining Earth's age was established, proving the planet to be billions of years old.<ref>{{Cite book |title=An Equation for Every Occasion: Fifty-Two Formulas and Why They Matter |last=Henshaw |first=John M. |publisher=Johns Hopkins University Press |year=2014 |isbn=978-1-4214-1491-1 |pages=117–118}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |title=Lord Kelvin and the Age of the Earth |last=Burchfield |first=Joe D. |publisher=University of Chicago Press |year=1990 |isbn=978-0-226-08043-7 |pages=13–18}}</ref> |
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''Spore Creature Keeper'' was a spin-off game developed by Maxis for Windows and OS X.<ref>{{cite web|last=Onyett|first=Charles|title=Four New Spore Games Incoming|url=http://pc.ign.com/articles/947/947268p1.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090125044627/http://pc.ign.com/articles/947/947268p1.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=January 25, 2009|website=IGN|access-date=November 29, 2011}}</ref> Made for younger users,<ref>{{cite web|last=Gibson|first=Ellie|title=New Spore game coming to Wii|url=http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/new-spore-game-coming-to-wii|work=Eurogamer|access-date=January 2, 2012|date=January 22, 2009|archive-date=August 10, 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110810200944/http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/new-spore-game-coming-to-wii|url-status=live}}</ref> the gameplay was heavily based on ''The Sims''. Originally planned for a summer 2009 release,<ref name=cnet>{{cite web|last=Terdiman|first=Daniel|title=EA shows 'Creature Keeper,' 'Spore' for kids|url=http://news.cnet.com/8301-10797_3-10147827-235.html|work=CNET News|publisher=CBS Interactive|access-date=January 2, 2012|author-link=Daniel Terdiman|date=January 22, 2009|archive-date=December 15, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131215040519/http://news.cnet.com/8301-10797_3-10147827-235.html|url-status=live}}</ref> the game development was eventually cancelled.<ref>{{cite web|last=Patrick|first=Buechner|title=Twitter / EAgamer: @atpfreitas Arthur, that project ...|url=https://twitter.com/eagamer/status/429759211614920704|work=Twitter|access-date=May 19, 2014|archive-date=May 20, 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140520071200/https://twitter.com/eagamer/status/429759211614920704|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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== See also == |
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A spinoff for [[Facebook]] was released, titled ''Spore Islands''.<ref>{{cite web |last=McElroy |first=Griffin |date=November 6, 2009 |title=Spore Islands launches on Facebook, prepare to drown in invites |url=https://www.engadget.com/2009-11-06-spore-islands-launches-on-facebook-prepare-to-drown-in-invites.html |access-date=November 6, 2009 |work=[[Engadget]] |archive-date=October 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004011609/https://www.engadget.com/2009-11-06-spore-islands-launches-on-facebook-prepare-to-drown-in-invites.html |url-status=live }}</ref> The gameplay was similar to games such as ''[[Dragon City]]'', and reviews of the game were not high, with [[Gamezebo]] rating it 2/5 stars.<ref>{{cite web |last=Squires |first=Jim |date=December 31, 2009 |title=Spore Islands Review |url=https://www.gamezebo.com/reviews/spore-islands-review/ |work=[[Gamezebo]] |access-date=October 4, 2022 |archive-date=October 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004011611/https://www.gamezebo.com/reviews/spore-islands-review/ |url-status=live }}</ref> A web-based 2D version of the ''[[Spore Creature Creator]]'' for [[Adobe Flash]] was released.<ref>{{cite web |last=Chester |first=Nick |date=September 16, 2009 |title=Spore gets web-based 2D creature creator |url=https://www.destructoid.com/spore-gets-web-based-2d-creature-creator/ |work=[[Destructoid]] |access-date=October 4, 2022 |archive-date=October 4, 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221004011609/https://www.destructoid.com/spore-gets-web-based-2d-creature-creator/ |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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{{columns list|colwidth=22em| |
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* [[Celestial sphere]] |
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* [[Earth phase]] |
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* [[Earth science]] |
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* [[Extremes on Earth]] |
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* [[List of Solar System extremes]] |
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* [[Outline of Earth]] |
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* [[Table of physical properties of planets in the Solar System]] |
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* [[Timeline of the far future]] |
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}} |
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== |
== Notes == |
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<!-- List alphabetized. Please keep it that way, thank you! |
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===Merchandising=== |
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--> |
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There is an [[ITunes Store|iTunes]]-style "''Spore'' Store" built into the game, allowing players to purchase external ''Spore'' licensed merchandise, such as [[t-shirts]], [[posters]], and future ''Spore'' [[expansion packs]].<ref name="eurogamerrel">{{cite web | author = Ian Bogost | date = March 31, 2008 | url = http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=18029 | title = Opinion: Is ''Spore'' 'For Everyone'? | website = [[Gamasutra]] | access-date = March 1, 2006 | archive-date = October 19, 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121019215156/http://www.gamasutra.com/php-bin/news_index.php?story=18029 | url-status = live }}</ref> There are also plans for the creation of a type of ''Spore'' [[collectible card game]] based on the ''Sporepedia'' cards of the creatures, buildings, vehicles, and planets that have been created by the players.<ref name="google-video1" /> There are also indications of plans for the creation of customized creature [[figurine]]s; some of those who designed their own creatures at E3 2006 later received [[3D printing|3D printed]] models of the creatures they created.<ref name=ccgfig>{{cite web|title=Your Own ''Spore'' Figurine, For A Fee?|url=http://www.playfuls.com/news_6451_Your_Own_Spore_Figurine_For_A_Fee.html|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070120180654/http://www.playfuls.com/news_6451_Your_Own_Spore_Figurine_For_A_Fee.html|archive-date=January 20, 2007}}</ref> On December 18, 2008, it was announced that players could now turn their creations into 3D sculptures using Z Corporations 3D printing technology.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://au.pc.ign.com/articles/939/939613p1.html |title=IGN: EA and Z Corporation Partner to Make ''Spore'' Creations Come Alive |date=December 18, 2008 |publisher=Au.pc.ign.com |access-date=March 13, 2009 |archive-date=July 9, 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090709044445/http://au.pc.ign.com/articles/939/939613p1.html |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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{{reflist |30em |group="n" |refs= |
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<ref name="Aoki">The ultimate source of these figures, uses the term "seconds of UT1" instead of "seconds of mean solar time".—{{cite journal |last1=Aoki |first1=S. |title=The new definition of universal time |journal=Astronomy and Astrophysics |year=1982 |volume=105 |issue=2 |pages=359–361 |bibcode=1982A&A...105..359A |last2=Kinoshita |first2=H. |last3=Guinot |first3=B. |last4=Kaplan |first4=G. H. |last5=McCarthy |first5=D. D. |last6=Seidelmann |first6=P. K.}}</ref> |
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The ''Spore'' Store on [[Zazzle]] also allows people to put their creatures on items such as T-shirts, mugs, and stickers.<ref name="zazz">{{cite web|url=http://www.zazzle.com/sporestore/learnmore|title=Spore Store – Learn More|access-date=June 17, 2008|archive-date=June 18, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080618223649/http://www.zazzle.com/sporestore/learnmore|url-status=live}}</ref> The ''Spore'' team worked with a comic creation software company to offer [[comic book]] versions of players' "Spore stories". Comic books with stylized pictures of various creatures, some whose creation has been shown in various presentations, can be seen on the walls of the ''Spore'' team's office.<ref name="pollinate universe">{{cite web| title= IGN: GDC 2008: Pollinating the Universe| url=http://pc.ign.com/articles/853/853815p1.html| archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080225162934/http://pc.ign.com/articles/853/853815p1.html| url-status=dead| archive-date=February 25, 2008}}</ref> The utility was revealed at [[San Diego Comic-Con]] on July 24, 2008, as the ''Spore Comic Creator'', which would utilize MashOn.com and its [[e-card]] software.<ref name="sporecomic">{{cite web|url=http://pc.ign.com/articles/893/893424p1.html?RSSwhen2008-07-24_120200&RSSid=893424|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080728140817/http://pc.ign.com/articles/893/893424p1.html?RSSwhen2008-07-24_120200&RSSid=893424|url-status=dead|archive-date=July 28, 2008|title=SDCC 08: ''Spore'' Comic Creator Announced|work=[[IGN]]|date=July 24, 2008|access-date=July 25, 2008|author=Nate Ahearn}}</ref> |
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<ref name="apsis">aphelion = ''a'' × (1 + ''e''); perihelion = ''a'' × (1 – ''e''), where ''a'' is the semi-major axis and ''e'' is the eccentricity. The difference between Earth's perihelion and aphelion is 5 million kilometers.—{{cite book|page=144|title=Probing the New Solar System|last1=Wilkinson|first1=John|year= 2009|publisher=CSIRO Publishing|isbn=978-0-643-09949-4}}</ref> |
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''Spore: Galactic Edition'', a [[special edition]] of the game; includes a ''Making of Spore'' DVD video, ''How to Build a Better Being'' DVD video by [[National Geographic Channel]], ''The Art of Spore'' hardback mini-book, a fold-out ''Spore'' poster and a 100-page Galactic Handbook published by [[Prima Games]].<ref name="speced">{{cite web|url=http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/24/spore-getting-80-galactic-edition/|title=Spore getting $80 'Galactic Edition'|work=[[Joystiq]]|author=Justin McElroy|access-date=June 24, 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080908021805/http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/24/spore-getting-80-galactic-edition/|archive-date=September 8, 2008|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}</ref> |
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<ref name="epoch">All astronomical quantities vary, both [[Secular phenomena|secularly]] and [[Frequency|periodically]]. The quantities given are the values at the instant [[J2000.0]] of the secular variation, ignoring all periodic variations.</ref> |
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===Canceled theatrical film=== |
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EA, [[20th Century Fox]], and AIG announced the development of a ''Spore'' film on October 1, 2009. The adaptation would be a CGI-animated film created by [[Blue Sky Studios]] and directed by [[Chris Wedge]].<ref>{{cite magazine |first=Marc |last=Graser |url=https://variety.com/2009/digital/markets-festivals/ea-sets-up-spore-at-fox-1118009454/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20120917142219/http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118009454.html |url-status=live |archive-date=September 17, 2012 |title=EA sets up 'Spore' at Fox |magazine=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]] |date=October 1, 2009 |access-date=October 7, 2010 }}</ref> However, the film remained in [[development hell]] for years. Following [[Acquisition of 21st Century Fox by Disney|Disney's purchase of Fox]], Blue Sky Studios announced that they would be closing down, leaving the film ostensibly canceled.<ref>{{Cite web|last=D'Alessandro|first=Anthony|date=2021-02-09|title=Disney Closing Blue Sky Studios, Fox's Once-Dominant Animation House Behind 'Ice Age' Franchise|url=https://deadline.com/2021/02/blue-sky-studios-closing-disney-ice-age-franchise-animation-1234690310/|access-date=2021-02-09|website=Deadline|language=en-US|archive-date=February 9, 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210209175505/https://deadline.com/2021/02/blue-sky-studios-closing-disney-ice-age-franchise-animation-1234690310/|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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<ref name="hill_radius">For Earth, the [[Hill radius]] is <math>R_H = a\left ( \frac{m}{3M} \right )^{\frac{1}{3}}</math>, where ''m'' is the mass of Earth, ''a'' is an astronomical unit, and ''M'' is the mass of the Sun. So the radius in AU is about <math>\left ( \frac{1}{3 \cdot 332,946} \right )^{\frac{1}{3}} = 0.01</math>.</ref> |
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===Soundtrack=== |
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[[Cliff Martinez]] composed the main menu galaxy theme track, along with the related interstellar and solar music. [[Brian Eno]] together with [[Peter Chilvers (musician)|Peter Chilvers]] created the [[generative music]] heard while editing planets in the Space Stage. Kent Jolly, with sample source from Eno, created the generative music for the Cell Stage game, cell editor, Creature Stage game, creature editor, Tribal Stage game, and Civilization Stage building editor. Aaron Mcleran, also with some sample source from Eno, created the generative music for the tribe editor, and all of the vehicle editors. Other composers included [[Jerry Martin (composer)|Jerry Martin]], Saul Stokes (Sporepedia music), and [[Marc Russo]]. The Civilization Stage user theme generation was designed by Kent Jolly, Aaron McLeran and Cyril Saint Girons, with sample source provided by Eno. All of the audio in Spore was implemented using a modified version of [[Pure Data]] created by [[Miller Puckette]].<ref>{{Cite conference |last1=Jolly |first1=Kent |last2=McLeran |first2=Aaron |date=February 2008 |title=Procedural Music in SPORE |url=https://www.gdcvault.com/play/323/Procedural-Music-in |conference=[[Game Developers Conference]] |via=GDC Vault |access-date=June 13, 2021 |archive-date=June 13, 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210613214659/https://www.gdcvault.com/play/323/Procedural-Music-in |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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<ref name="jaes41_3_379">Including the [[Somali Plate]], which is being formed out of the African Plate. See: {{cite journal |first=Jean |last=Chorowicz |date=October 2005 |title=The East African rift system |journal=[[Journal of African Earth Sciences]] |volume=43 |issue=1–3 |pages=379–410 |doi=10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2005.07.019 |bibcode=2005JAfES..43..379C}}</ref> |
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===Use in academia=== |
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''Spore'' has been used in academic studies to see how respondents display [[surrogation]].<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Choi|first1=Willie|last2=Hecht|first2=Gary|last3=Tayler|first3=William B.|date=2011-05-24|title=Lost in Translation: The Effects of Incentive Compensation on Strategy Surrogation|doi=10.2139/ssrn.1438212 |ssrn=1438212|s2cid=154916829 }}</ref> |
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<ref name="solar_energy">Aphelion is 103.4% of the distance to perihelion. Due to the inverse square law, the radiation at perihelion is about 106.9% of the energy at aphelion.</ref> |
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==See also== |
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{{Div col|colwidth=30em}} |
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* ''[[3D Virtual Creature Evolution]]'' |
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* ''[[Black & White (video game)|Black & White]]'' |
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* ''[[Creatures (artificial life program)|Creatures]]'' |
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* ''[[Eco (video game)|Eco]]'' |
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* ''[[Elite Dangerous]]'' |
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* ''[[E.V.O.: Search for Eden]]'' |
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* ''[[Evolution: The Game of Intelligent Life]]'' |
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* ''[[Impossible Creatures]]'' |
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* ''[[L.O.L.: Lack of Love]]'' |
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* ''[[No Man's Sky]]'' |
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* ''[[Seventh Cross: Evolution]]'' |
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* ''[[SimEarth]]'' |
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* ''[[SimLife]]'' |
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* ''[[SpaceEngine]]'' |
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* ''[[Universe Sandbox]]'' |
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{{div col end}} |
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<ref name="surfacecover">Due to natural fluctuations, ambiguities surrounding [[Ice shelf|ice shelves]], and mapping conventions for [[vertical datum]]s, exact values for land and ocean coverage are not meaningful. Based on data from the [[Vector Map]] and [http://www.landcover.org/ Global Landcover] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150326085837/http://www.landcover.org/ |date=26 March 2015}} datasets, extreme values for coverage of lakes and streams are 0.6% and 1.0% of Earth's surface. The ice sheets of [[Antarctica]] and [[Greenland]] are counted as land, even though much of the rock that supports them lies below sea level.</ref> |
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==References== |
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{{Reflist|30em}} |
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<ref name="space_debris">As of 4 January 2018, the United States Strategic Command tracked a total of 18,835 artificial objects, mostly debris. See: {{cite journal |url=https://orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/quarterly-news/pdfs/odqnv22i1.pdf |title=Satellite Box Score |journal=Orbital Debris Quarterly News |editor1-first=Phillip |editor1-last=Anz-Meador |editor2-first=Debi |editor2-last=Shoots |volume=22 |issue=1 |page=12 |date=February 2018 |access-date=18 April 2018 |archive-date=2 April 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190402034308/https://orbitaldebris.jsc.nasa.gov/quarterly-news/pdfs/odqnv22i1.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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==External links== |
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{{Commons category}} |
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{{Wikiquote|Spore}} |
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* {{official website|http://www.spore.com/}} |
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* {{YouTube|user=spore|title=Spore}} |
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}} |
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{{Sim series|all=yes}} |
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== References == |
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{{reflist|refs= |
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<ref name="aaa428_261">{{cite journal |display-authors=1 |last1=Laskar |first1=J. |last2=Robutel |first2=P. |last3=Joutel |first3=F. |last4=Gastineau |first4=M. |last5=Correia |first5=A.C.M. |last6=Levrard |first6=B. |title=A long-term numerical solution for the insolation quantities of the Earth |journal=Astronomy and Astrophysics |year=2004 |volume=428 |issue=1 |pages=261–285 |bibcode=2004A&A...428..261L |doi=10.1051/0004-6361:20041335 |url=https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00001603/document |doi-access=free |access-date=16 May 2018 |archive-date=17 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180517010908/https://hal.archives-ouvertes.fr/hal-00001603/document |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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<ref name="ab2003">{{cite web |author=Staff |date=September 2003 |url=http://astrobiology.arc.nasa.gov/roadmap/g1.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120312212337/http://astrobiology.arc.nasa.gov/roadmap/g1.html |archive-date=12 March 2012 |title=Astrobiology Roadmap |publisher=NASA, Lockheed Martin |access-date=10 March 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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<ref name="abedon1997">{{cite web |last1=Abedon |first1=Stephen T. |date=31 March 1997 |url=http://www.mansfield.ohio-state.edu/~sabedon/biol1010.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121129043509/http://www.mansfield.ohio-state.edu/~sabedon/biol1010.htm |archive-date=29 November 2012 |title=History of Earth |publisher=Ohio State University |access-date=19 March 2007 |url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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<ref name="age_earth1">See: |
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* {{cite book |first1=G. Brent |last1=Dalrymple |author-link1=Brent Dalrymple|date=1991 |title=The Age of the Earth |publisher=Stanford University Press |location=California |isbn=978-0-8047-1569-0}} |
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* {{cite web |last=Newman |first=William L. |date=9 July 2007 |url=http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/geotime/age.html |title=Age of the Earth |publisher=Publications Services, USGS |access-date=20 September 2007 |archive-date=23 December 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20051223072700/http://pubs.usgs.gov/gip/geotime/age.html |url-status=live }} |
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* {{cite journal |last1=Dalrymple |first1=G. Brent |author-link1=Brent Dalrymple |title=The age of the Earth in the twentieth century: a problem (mostly) solved |journal=Geological Society, London, Special Publications |year=2001 |volume=190 |issue=1 |pages=205–221 |url=http://sp.lyellcollection.org/cgi/content/abstract/190/1/205 |access-date=20 September 2007 |doi=10.1144/GSL.SP.2001.190.01.14 |bibcode=2001GSLSP.190..205D |s2cid=130092094 |archive-date=11 November 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071111141237/http://sp.lyellcollection.org/cgi/content/abstract/190/1/205 |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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<ref name="aj136_5_1906">{{cite journal |last1=McCarthy |first1=Dennis D. |author-link1=Dennis McCarthy (scientist)|last2=Hackman |first2=Christine |last3=Nelson |first3=Robert A. |title=The Physical Basis of the Leap Second |journal=The Astronomical Journal |volume=136 |issue=5 |pages=1906–1908 |date=November 2008 |doi=10.1088/0004-6256/136/5/1906 |bibcode=2008AJ....136.1906M |doi-access=free}}</ref> |
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<ref name="ajes38_613">{{cite journal |last1=Armstrong |first1=R. L. |year=1991 |title=The persistent myth of crustal growth |journal=Australian Journal of Earth Sciences |volume=38 |issue=5 |pages=613–630 |doi=10.1080/08120099108727995 |bibcode=1991AuJES..38..613A |url=http://www.mantleplumes.org/WebDocuments/Armstrong1991.pdf |citeseerx=10.1.1.527.9577 |access-date=24 October 2017 |archive-date=8 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170808214425/http://www.mantleplumes.org/WebDocuments/Armstrong1991.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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<ref name="Allen294">{{cite book |title=Allen's Astrophysical Quantities |last1=Allen |first1=Clabon Walter |author-link1=Clabon Allen |last2=Cox |first2=Arthur N. |editor=Arthur N. Cox |publisher=Springer |date=2000 |isbn=978-0-387-98746-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w8PK2XFLLH8C&pg=PA294 |page=294 |access-date=13 March 2011 |archive-date=21 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230221195157/https://books.google.com/books?id=w8PK2XFLLH8C&pg=PA294 |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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<ref name="Allen296">{{cite book |title=Allen's Astrophysical Quantities |last1=Allen |first1=Clabon Walter |author-link1=Clabon Allen |last2=Cox |first2=Arthur N. |editor=Arthur N. Cox |publisher=Springer |date=2000 |isbn=978-0-387-98746-0 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w8PK2XFLLH8C&pg=PA296 |page=296 |access-date=17 August 2010 |archive-date=21 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230221195213/https://books.google.com/books?id=w8PK2XFLLH8C&pg=PA296 |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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<ref name="amnat163_2_192">{{cite journal |last1=Hillebrand |first1=Helmut |title=On the Generality of the Latitudinal Gradient |journal=American Naturalist |year=2004 |volume=163 |issue=2 |pages=192–211 |doi=10.1086/381004 |pmid=14970922 |s2cid=9886026 |url=http://oceanrep.geomar.de/4048/1/Hillebrand_2004_Amer_nat.pdf |access-date=20 April 2018 |archive-date=22 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170922001037/http://oceanrep.geomar.de/4048/1/Hillebrand_2004_Amer_nat.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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<ref name="angular">{{cite web |last1=Williams |first1=David R. |date=10 February 2006 |url=http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/planetfact.html |title=Planetary Fact Sheets |publisher=NASA |access-date=28 September 2008 |at=See the apparent diameters on the Sun and Moon pages |archive-date=4 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304052405/http://nssdc.gsfc.nasa.gov/planetary/planetfact.html |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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<ref name=arghg4_143>{{cite journal |last1=Pennock |first1=R. T. |title=Creationism and intelligent design |journal=Annual Review of Genomics and Human Genetics |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=143–163 |year=2003 |pmid=14527300 |doi=10.1146/annurev.genom.4.070802.110400}}</ref> |
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---> |
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<ref name="arnett20060716">{{cite web |first1=Bill |last1=Arnett |date=16 July 2006 |title=Earth |work=The Nine Planets, A Multimedia Tour of the Solar System: one star, eight planets, and more |url=http://nineplanets.org/earth.html |access-date=9 March 2010 |archive-date=23 August 2000 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20000823145301/http://nineplanets.org/earth.html |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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<ref name="arwps4_265">{{cite journal |last1=Hunten |first1=D. M. |title=Hydrogen loss from the terrestrial planets |journal=Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences |year=1976 |volume=4 |issue=1 |pages=265–292 |bibcode=1976AREPS...4..265H |doi=10.1146/annurev.ea.04.050176.001405 |last2=Donahue |first2=T. M|author-link2=Thomas Michael Donahue}}</ref> |
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<ref name="asp2002">{{cite conference |last1=Guinan |first1=E. F. |last2=Ribas |first2=I. |editor=Benjamin Montesinos, Alvaro Gimenez and Edward F. Guinan |title=Our Changing Sun: The Role of Solar Nuclear Evolution and Magnetic Activity on Earth's Atmosphere and Climate |work=ASP Conference Proceedings: The Evolving Sun and its Influence on Planetary Environments |year=2002 |location=San Francisco |isbn=978-1-58381-109-2 |publisher=Astronomical Society of the Pacific |bibcode=2002ASPC..269...85G}}</ref> |
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<ref name="asu_highest_temp">{{cite web |url=https://wmo.asu.edu/content/world-highest-temperature |title=World: Highest Temperature |work=[[WMO]] Weather and Climate Extremes Archive |publisher=[[Arizona State University]] |access-date=6 September 2020 |archive-date=1 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180501140030/https://wmo.asu.edu/content/world-highest-temperature |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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<ref name="asu_lowest_temp">{{cite web |url=https://wmo.asu.edu/content/world-lowest-temperature |title=World: Lowest Temperature |work=[[WMO]] Weather and Climate Extremes Archive |publisher=[[Arizona State University]] |access-date=6 September 2020 |archive-date=23 March 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190323204244/https://wmo.asu.edu/content/world-lowest-temperature |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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<ref name="atmosphere">{{cite web |author=Staff |date=8 October 2003 |url=http://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/9-12/features/912_liftoff_atm.html |title=Earth's Atmosphere |publisher=NASA |access-date=21 March 2007 |archive-date=27 April 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200427090422/https://www.nasa.gov/audience/forstudents/9-12/features/912_liftoff_atm.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> |
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<ref name="berger2002">{{cite web |last1=Berger |first1=Wolfgang H. |author-link1=Wolfgang H. Berger |year=2002 |url=http://earthguide.ucsd.edu/virtualmuseum/climatechange1/cc1syllabus.shtml |title=The Earth's Climate System |publisher=University of California, San Diego |access-date=24 March 2007 |archive-date=16 March 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130316083131/http://earthguide.ucsd.edu/virtualmuseum/climatechange1/cc1syllabus.shtml |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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<ref name="biodiv">{{cite web |author=Staff |url=http://www.biodiv.org/programmes/default.shtml |title=Themes & Issues |publisher=Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity |access-date=29 March 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070407011249/http://www.biodiv.org/programmes/default.shtml |archive-date=7 April 2007}}</ref> |
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<ref name="bouvier_wadhwa2010">{{cite journal |last1=Bouvier |first1=Audrey |last2=Wadhwa |first2=Meenakshi |author-link2=Meenakshi Wadhwa|title=The age of the Solar System redefined by the oldest Pb–Pb age of a meteoritic inclusion |journal=Nature Geoscience |date=September 2010 |volume=3 |issue=9 |pages=637–641 |doi=10.1038/ngeo941 |bibcode=2010NatGe...3..637B }}</ref> |
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<ref name=bromberg2008>{{cite web |last1=Bromberg |first1=Irv |date=1 May 2008 |url=http://www.sym454.org/seasons/ |title=The Lengths of the Seasons (on Earth) |publisher=[[University of Toronto]]|website=Sym545 |access-date=8 November 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081218221421/http://www.sym454.org/seasons/ |archive-date=18 December 2008 |url-status=dead}}</ref> |
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<ref name="brown_mussett1981">{{cite book |last1=Brown |first1=Geoff C. |last2=Mussett |first2=Alan E. |title=The Inaccessible Earth |edition=2nd |date=1981 |page=[https://archive.org/details/inaccessibleeart0000brow_r5i2/page/166 166] |publisher=Taylor & Francis |isbn=978-0-04-550028-4 |url=https://archive.org/details/inaccessibleeart0000brow_r5i2/page/166}} Note: After Ronov and Yaroshevsky (1969).</ref> |
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<ref name=campbelwh>{{cite book |last1=Campbell |first1=Wallace Hall |title=Introduction to Geomagnetic Fields |publisher=Cambridge University Press |date=2003 |location=New York |page=57 |isbn=978-0-521-82206-0}}</ref> |
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<ref name=wekn_bulakh2004>{{cite book |last1=Wenk |first1=Hans-Rudolf |author-link2=Hans-Rudolf Wenk|last2=Bulakh |first2=Andreĭ Glebovich |title=Minerals: their constitution and origin |page=359 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |date=2004 |isbn=978-0-521-52958-7}}</ref> |
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<ref name="WGS-84-2">{{cite web |first1=Sigurd |last1=Humerfelt |date=26 October 2010 |title=How WGS 84 defines Earth |url=http://home.online.no/~sigurdhu/WGS84_Eng.html |website=Home Online |access-date=29 April 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110424104419/http://home.online.no/~sigurdhu/WGS84_Eng.html |archive-date=24 April 2011}}</ref> |
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<ref name="Williams1994">{{cite journal |last1=Williams |first1=James G. |title=Contributions to the Earth's obliquity rate, precession, and nutation |journal=The Astronomical Journal |volume=108 |year=1994 |page=711 |issn=0004-6256 |doi=10.1086/117108 |bibcode=1994AJ....108..711W|s2cid=122370108 |doi-access=free }}</ref> |
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<ref name=williams_santosh2004>{{cite book |first1=John James William |last1=Rogers |last2=Santosh |first2=M. |date=2004 |title=Continents and Supercontinents |page=48 |publisher=Oxford University Press US |isbn=978-0-19-516589-0}}</ref> |
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<ref name=zeilik1998>{{cite book |last1=Zeilik |first1=Michael |last2=Gregory |first2=Stephen A. |title=Introductory Astronomy & Astrophysics |edition=4th |page=56 |publisher=Saunders College Publishing |isbn=978-0-03-006228-5 |date=1998}}</ref> |
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<!--<ref name="Luzum2011">{{cite journal |last1=Luzum |first1=Brian |last2=Capitaine |first2=Nicole |author-link2=Nicole Capitaine|last3=Fienga |first3=Agnès |author-link3=Agnès Fienga|last4=Folkner |first4=William |last5=Fukushima |first5=Toshio |last6=Hilton |first6=James |last7=Hohenkerk |first7=Catherine |last8=Krasinsky |first8=George |last9=Petit |first9=Gérard |last10=Pitjeva |first10=Elena |last11=Soffel |first11=Michael |last12=Wallace |first12=Patrick |display-authors=5 |title=The IAU 2009 system of astronomical constants: The report of the IAU working group on numerical standards for Fundamental Astronomy |journal=Celestial Mechanics and Dynamical Astronomy |volume=110 |issue=4 |date=August 2011 |pages=293–304 |bibcode=2011CeMDA.110..293L |doi=10.1007/s10569-011-9352-4 |doi-access=free}}</ref>--> |
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<ref name=earthmass>{{cite web |url=https://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/planets/phys_par.html |title=Planetary Physical Parameters |publisher=[[Jet Propulsion Laboratory]] |date=2008 |access-date=11 August 2022}}</ref> |
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<ref name=Narottam2008>{{cite book |url={{GBurl|id=i4kASIoKym8C|p=40}} |title=Climate Change and International Politics |publisher=Kalpaz Publications |first=Narottam |last=Gaan |page=40 |year=2008 |isbn=978-81-7835-641-9}}</ref> |
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}} |
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== External links == |
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{{Spoken Wikipedia|En-Earth-article.ogg|date=22 April 2021}} |
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* [https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/planets/earth/overview/ Earth – Profile] – Solar System Exploration – [[NASA]] |
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* [http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/ Earth Observatory] – NASA |
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* Earth – Videos – International Space Station: |
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** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74mhQyuyELQ Video (01:02)] on YouTube – Earth (time-lapse) |
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** [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6ahFFFQBZY Video (00:27)] on YouTube – Earth and [[aurora]]s (time-lapse) |
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* [https://www.google.com/maps/@36.6233227,-44.9959756,5662076m/data=!3m1!1e3 Google Earth 3D], interactive map |
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* [https://thehappykoala.github.io/Harmony-of-the-Spheres/#/category/Solar%20System/scenario/The%20Earth%20and%20Moon%20System Interactive 3D visualization of the Sun, Earth and Moon system] |
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* [http://portal.gplates.org/ GPlates Portal] (University of Sydney) |
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Revision as of 15:40, 22 November 2024
Designations | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The world, the globe, Sol III, Terra, Tellus, Gaia, Mother Earth | |||||||||
Adjectives | Earthly, terrestrial, terran, tellurian | ||||||||
Symbol | 🜨 and ♁ | ||||||||
Orbital characteristics | |||||||||
Epoch J2000[n 1] | |||||||||
Aphelion | 152097597 km | ||||||||
Perihelion | 147098450 km[n 2] | ||||||||
149598023 km[1] | |||||||||
Eccentricity | 0.0167086[1] | ||||||||
365.256363004 d[2] (1.00001742096 aj) | |||||||||
Average orbital speed | 29.7827 km/s[3] | ||||||||
358.617° | |||||||||
Inclination |
| ||||||||
−11.26064° – J2000 ecliptic[3] | |||||||||
2023-Jan-04[5] | |||||||||
114.20783°[3] | |||||||||
Satellites | 1, the Moon | ||||||||
Physical characteristics | |||||||||
6371.0 km[6] | |||||||||
Equatorial radius | 6378.137 km[7][8] | ||||||||
Polar radius | 6356.752 km[9] | ||||||||
Flattening | 1/298.257222101 (ETRS89)[10] | ||||||||
Circumference |
| ||||||||
Volume | 1.08321×1012 km3[3] | ||||||||
Mass | 5.972168×1024 kg[13] | ||||||||
Mean density | 5.513 g/cm3[3] | ||||||||
9.80665 m/s2[14] (exactly 1 g0) | |||||||||
0.3307[15] | |||||||||
11.186 km/s[3] | |||||||||
1.0 d (24h 00 m 00s) | |||||||||
Equatorial rotation velocity | 0.4651 km/s[17] | ||||||||
23.4392811°[2] | |||||||||
Albedo | |||||||||
Temperature | 255 K (−18 °C) (blackbody temperature)[18] | ||||||||
| |||||||||
Surface equivalent dose rate | 0.274 μSv/h[22] | ||||||||
−3.99 | |||||||||
Atmosphere | |||||||||
Surface pressure | 101.325 kPa (at sea level) | ||||||||
Composition by volume |
|
Earth is the third planet from the Sun and the only astronomical object known to harbor life. This is enabled by Earth being an ocean world, the only one in the Solar System sustaining liquid surface water. Almost all of Earth's water is contained in its global ocean, covering 70.8% of Earth's crust. The remaining 29.2% of Earth's crust is land, most of which is located in the form of continental landmasses within Earth's land hemisphere. Most of Earth's land is at least somewhat humid and covered by vegetation, while large sheets of ice at Earth's polar deserts retain more water than Earth's groundwater, lakes, rivers and atmospheric water combined. Earth's crust consists of slowly moving tectonic plates, which interact to produce mountain ranges, volcanoes, and earthquakes. Earth has a liquid outer core that generates a magnetosphere capable of deflecting most of the destructive solar winds and cosmic radiation.
Earth has a dynamic atmosphere, which sustains Earth's surface conditions and protects it from most meteoroids and UV-light at entry. It has a composition of primarily nitrogen and oxygen. Water vapor is widely present in the atmosphere, forming clouds that cover most of the planet. The water vapor acts as a greenhouse gas and, together with other greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, particularly carbon dioxide (CO2), creates the conditions for both liquid surface water and water vapor to persist via the capturing of energy from the Sun's light. This process maintains the current average surface temperature of 14.76 °C (58.57 °F), at which water is liquid under normal atmospheric pressure. Differences in the amount of captured energy between geographic regions (as with the equatorial region receiving more sunlight than the polar regions) drive atmospheric and ocean currents, producing a global climate system with different climate regions, and a range of weather phenomena such as precipitation, allowing components such as nitrogen to cycle.
Earth is rounded into an ellipsoid with a circumference of about 40,000 km. It is the densest planet in the Solar System. Of the four rocky planets, it is the largest and most massive. Earth is about eight light-minutes away from the Sun and orbits it, taking a year (about 365.25 days) to complete one revolution. Earth rotates around its own axis in slightly less than a day (in about 23 hours and 56 minutes). Earth's axis of rotation is tilted with respect to the perpendicular to its orbital plane around the Sun, producing seasons. Earth is orbited by one permanent natural satellite, the Moon, which orbits Earth at 384,400 km (1.28 light seconds) and is roughly a quarter as wide as Earth. The Moon's gravity helps stabilize Earth's axis, causes tides and gradually slows Earth's rotation. Tidal locking has made the Moon always face Earth with the same side.
Earth, like most other bodies in the Solar System, formed 4.5 billion years ago from gas and dust in the early Solar System. During the first billion years of Earth's history, the ocean formed and then life developed within it. Life spread globally and has been altering Earth's atmosphere and surface, leading to the Great Oxidation Event two billion years ago. Humans emerged 300,000 years ago in Africa and have spread across every continent on Earth. Humans depend on Earth's biosphere and natural resources for their survival, but have increasingly impacted the planet's environment. Humanity's current impact on Earth's climate and biosphere is unsustainable, threatening the livelihood of humans and many other forms of life, and causing widespread extinctions.[23]
Etymology
The Modern English word Earth developed, via Middle English, from an Old English noun most often spelled eorðe.[24] It has cognates in every Germanic language, and their ancestral root has been reconstructed as *erþō. In its earliest attestation, the word eorðe was used to translate the many senses of Latin terra and Greek γῆ gē: the ground, its soil, dry land, the human world, the surface of the world (including the sea), and the globe itself. As with Roman Terra/Tellūs and Greek Gaia, Earth may have been a personified goddess in Germanic paganism: late Norse mythology included Jörð ("Earth"), a giantess often given as the mother of Thor.[25]
Historically, "Earth" has been written in lowercase. Beginning with the use of Early Middle English, its definite sense as "the globe" was expressed as "the earth". By the era of Early Modern English, capitalization of nouns began to prevail, and the earth was also written the Earth, particularly when referenced along with other heavenly bodies. More recently, the name is sometimes simply given as Earth, by analogy with the names of the other planets, though "earth" and forms with "the earth" remain common.[24] House styles now vary: Oxford spelling recognizes the lowercase form as the more common, with the capitalized form an acceptable variant. Another convention capitalizes "Earth" when appearing as a name, such as a description of the "Earth's atmosphere", but employs the lowercase when it is preceded by "the", such as "the atmosphere of the earth". It almost always appears in lowercase in colloquial expressions such as "what on earth are you doing?"[26]
The name Terra /ˈtɛrə/ occasionally is used in scientific writing and especially in science fiction to distinguish humanity's inhabited planet from others,[27] while in poetry Tellus /ˈtɛləs/ has been used to denote personification of the Earth.[28] Terra is also the name of the planet in some Romance languages, languages that evolved from Latin, like Italian and Portuguese, while in other Romance languages the word gave rise to names with slightly altered spellings, like the Spanish Tierra and the French Terre. The Latinate form Gæa or Gaea (English: /ˈdʒiː.ə/) of the Greek poetic name Gaia (Γαῖα; Ancient Greek: [ɡâi̯.a] or [ɡâj.ja]) is rare, though the alternative spelling Gaia has become common due to the Gaia hypothesis, in which case its pronunciation is /ˈɡaɪ.ə/ rather than the more classical English /ˈɡeɪ.ə/.[29]
There are a number of adjectives for the planet Earth. The word "earthly" is derived from "Earth". From the Latin Terra comes terran /ˈtɛrən/,[30] terrestrial /təˈrɛstriəl/,[31] and (via French) terrene /təˈriːn/,[32] and from the Latin Tellus comes tellurian /tɛˈlʊəriən/[33] and telluric.[34]
Natural history
Formation
The oldest material found in the Solar System is dated to 4.5682+0.0002
−0.0004 Ga (billion years) ago.[35] By 4.54±0.04 Ga the primordial Earth had formed.[36] The bodies in the Solar System formed and evolved with the Sun. In theory, a solar nebula partitions a volume out of a molecular cloud by gravitational collapse, which begins to spin and flatten into a circumstellar disk, and then the planets grow out of that disk with the Sun. A nebula contains gas, ice grains, and dust (including primordial nuclides). According to nebular theory, planetesimals formed by accretion, with the primordial Earth being estimated as likely taking anywhere from 70 to 100 million years to form.[37]
Estimates of the age of the Moon range from 4.5 Ga to significantly younger.[38] A leading hypothesis is that it was formed by accretion from material loosed from Earth after a Mars-sized object with about 10% of Earth's mass, named Theia, collided with Earth.[39] It hit Earth with a glancing blow and some of its mass merged with Earth.[40][41] Between approximately 4.1 and 3.8 Ga, numerous asteroid impacts during the Late Heavy Bombardment caused significant changes to the greater surface environment of the Moon and, by inference, to that of Earth.[42]
After formation
Earth's atmosphere and oceans were formed by volcanic activity and outgassing.[43] Water vapor from these sources condensed into the oceans, augmented by water and ice from asteroids, protoplanets, and comets.[44] Sufficient water to fill the oceans may have been on Earth since it formed.[45] In this model, atmospheric greenhouse gases kept the oceans from freezing when the newly forming Sun had only 70% of its current luminosity.[46] By 3.5 Ga, Earth's magnetic field was established, which helped prevent the atmosphere from being stripped away by the solar wind.[47]
As the molten outer layer of Earth cooled it formed the first solid crust, which is thought to have been mafic in composition. The first continental crust, which was more felsic in composition, formed by the partial melting of this mafic crust.[49] The presence of grains of the mineral zircon of Hadean age in Eoarchean sedimentary rocks suggests that at least some felsic crust existed as early as 4.4 Ga, only 140 Ma after Earth's formation.[50] There are two main models of how this initial small volume of continental crust evolved to reach its current abundance:[51] (1) a relatively steady growth up to the present day,[52] which is supported by the radiometric dating of continental crust globally and (2) an initial rapid growth in the volume of continental crust during the Archean, forming the bulk of the continental crust that now exists,[53][54] which is supported by isotopic evidence from hafnium in zircons and neodymium in sedimentary rocks. The two models and the data that support them can be reconciled by large-scale recycling of the continental crust, particularly during the early stages of Earth's history.[55]
New continental crust forms as a result of plate tectonics, a process ultimately driven by the continuous loss of heat from Earth's interior. Over the period of hundreds of millions of years, tectonic forces have caused areas of continental crust to group together to form supercontinents that have subsequently broken apart. At approximately 750 Ma, one of the earliest known supercontinents, Rodinia, began to break apart. The continents later recombined to form Pannotia at 600–540 Ma, then finally Pangaea, which also began to break apart at 180 Ma.[56]
The most recent pattern of ice ages began about 40 Ma,[57] and then intensified during the Pleistocene about 3 Ma.[58] High- and middle-latitude regions have since undergone repeated cycles of glaciation and thaw, repeating about every 21,000, 41,000 and 100,000 years.[59] The Last Glacial Period, colloquially called the "last ice age", covered large parts of the continents, to the middle latitudes, in ice and ended about 11,700 years ago.[60]
Origin of life and evolution
Chemical reactions led to the first self-replicating molecules about four billion years ago. A half billion years later, the last common ancestor of all current life arose.[61] The evolution of photosynthesis allowed the Sun's energy to be harvested directly by life forms. The resultant molecular oxygen (O2) accumulated in the atmosphere and due to interaction with ultraviolet solar radiation, formed a protective ozone layer (O3) in the upper atmosphere.[62] The incorporation of smaller cells within larger ones resulted in the development of complex cells called eukaryotes.[63] True multicellular organisms formed as cells within colonies became increasingly specialized. Aided by the absorption of harmful ultraviolet radiation by the ozone layer, life colonized Earth's surface.[64] Among the earliest fossil evidence for life is microbial mat fossils found in 3.48 billion-year-old sandstone in Western Australia,[65] biogenic graphite found in 3.7 billion-year-old metasedimentary rocks in Western Greenland,[66] and remains of biotic material found in 4.1 billion-year-old rocks in Western Australia.[67][68] The earliest direct evidence of life on Earth is contained in 3.45 billion-year-old Australian rocks showing fossils of microorganisms.[69][70]
During the Neoproterozoic, 1000 to 539 Ma, much of Earth might have been covered in ice. This hypothesis has been termed "Snowball Earth", and it is of particular interest because it preceded the Cambrian explosion, when multicellular life forms significantly increased in complexity.[72][73] Following the Cambrian explosion, 535 Ma, there have been at least five major mass extinctions and many minor ones.[74] Apart from the proposed current Holocene extinction event, the most recent was 66 Ma, when an asteroid impact triggered the extinction of non-avian dinosaurs and other large reptiles, but largely spared small animals such as insects, mammals, lizards and birds. Mammalian life has diversified over the past 66 Mys, and several million years ago, an African ape species gained the ability to stand upright.[75][76] This facilitated tool use and encouraged communication that provided the nutrition and stimulation needed for a larger brain, which led to the evolution of humans. The development of agriculture, and then civilization, led to humans having an influence on Earth and the nature and quantity of other life forms that continues to this day.[77]
Future
Earth's expected long-term future is tied to that of the Sun. Over the next 1.1 billion years, solar luminosity will increase by 10%, and over the next 3.5 billion years by 40%.[78] Earth's increasing surface temperature will accelerate the inorganic carbon cycle, possibly reducing CO2 concentration to levels lethally low for current plants (10 ppm for C4 photosynthesis) in approximately 100–900 million years.[79][80] A lack of vegetation would result in the loss of oxygen in the atmosphere, making current animal life impossible.[81] Due to the increased luminosity, Earth's mean temperature may reach 100 °C (212 °F) in 1.5 billion years, and all ocean water will evaporate and be lost to space, which may trigger a runaway greenhouse effect, within an estimated 1.6 to 3 billion years.[82] Even if the Sun were stable, a fraction of the water in the modern oceans will descend to the mantle, due to reduced steam venting from mid-ocean ridges.[82][83]
The Sun will evolve to become a red giant in about 5 billion years. Models predict that the Sun will expand to roughly 1 AU (150 million km; 93 million mi), about 250 times its present radius.[78][84] Earth's fate is less clear. As a red giant, the Sun will lose roughly 30% of its mass, so, without tidal effects, Earth will move to an orbit 1.7 AU (250 million km; 160 million mi) from the Sun when the star reaches its maximum radius, otherwise, with tidal effects, it may enter the Sun's atmosphere and be vaporized.[78]
Physical characteristics
Size and shape
Earth has a rounded shape, through hydrostatic equilibrium,[85] with an average diameter of 12,742 kilometres (7,918 mi), making it the fifth largest planetary sized and largest terrestrial object of the Solar System.[86]
Due to Earth's rotation it has the shape of an ellipsoid, bulging at its Equator; its diameter is 43 kilometres (27 mi) longer there than at its poles.[87][88] Earth's shape also has local topographic variations; the largest local variations, like the Mariana Trench (10,925 metres or 35,843 feet below local sea level),[89] shortens Earth's average radius by 0.17% and Mount Everest (8,848 metres or 29,029 feet above local sea level) lengthens it by 0.14%.[n 6][91] Since Earth's surface is farthest out from its center of mass at its equatorial bulge, the summit of the volcano Chimborazo in Ecuador (6,384.4 km or 3,967.1 mi) is its farthest point out.[92][93] Parallel to the rigid land topography the ocean exhibits a more dynamic topography.[94]
To measure the local variation of Earth's topography, geodesy employs an idealized Earth producing a geoid shape. Such a shape is gained if the ocean is idealized, covering Earth completely and without any perturbations such as tides and winds. The result is a smooth but irregular geoid surface, providing a mean sea level (MSL) as a reference level for topographic measurements.[95]
Surface
Earth's surface is the boundary between the atmosphere, and the solid Earth and oceans. Defined in this way, it has an area of about 510 million km2 (197 million sq mi).[12] Earth can be divided into two hemispheres: by latitude into the polar Northern and Southern hemispheres; or by longitude into the continental Eastern and Western hemispheres.
Most of Earth's surface is ocean water: 70.8% or 361 million km2 (139 million sq mi).[96] This vast pool of salty water is often called the world ocean,[97][98] and makes Earth with its dynamic hydrosphere a water world[99][100] or ocean world.[101][102] Indeed, in Earth's early history the ocean may have covered Earth completely.[103] The world ocean is commonly divided into the Pacific Ocean, Atlantic Ocean, Indian Ocean, Antarctic or Southern Ocean, and Arctic Ocean, from largest to smallest. The ocean covers Earth's oceanic crust, with the shelf seas covering the shelves of the continental crust to a lesser extent. The oceanic crust forms large oceanic basins with features like abyssal plains, seamounts, submarine volcanoes,[87] oceanic trenches, submarine canyons, oceanic plateaus, and a globe-spanning mid-ocean ridge system.[104] At Earth's polar regions, the ocean surface is covered by seasonally variable amounts of sea ice that often connects with polar land, permafrost and ice sheets, forming polar ice caps.
Earth's land covers 29.2%, or 149 million km2 (58 million sq mi) of Earth's surface. The land surface includes many islands around the globe, but most of the land surface is taken by the four continental landmasses, which are (in descending order): Africa-Eurasia, America (landmass), Antarctica, and Australia (landmass).[105][106][107] These landmasses are further broken down and grouped into the continents. The terrain of the land surface varies greatly and consists of mountains, deserts, plains, plateaus, and other landforms. The elevation of the land surface varies from a low point of −418 m (−1,371 ft) at the Dead Sea, to a maximum altitude of 8,848 m (29,029 ft) at the top of Mount Everest. The mean height of land above sea level is about 797 m (2,615 ft).[108]
Land can be covered by surface water, snow, ice, artificial structures or vegetation. Most of Earth's land hosts vegetation,[109] but considerable amounts of land are ice sheets (10%,[110] not including the equally large area of land under permafrost)[111] or deserts (33%).[112]
The pedosphere is the outermost layer of Earth's land surface and is composed of soil and subject to soil formation processes. Soil is crucial for land to be arable. Earth's total arable land is 10.7% of the land surface, with 1.3% being permanent cropland.[113][114] Earth has an estimated 16.7 million km2 (6.4 million sq mi) of cropland and 33.5 million km2 (12.9 million sq mi) of pastureland.[115]
The land surface and the ocean floor form the top of Earth's crust, which together with parts of the upper mantle form Earth's lithosphere. Earth's crust may be divided into oceanic and continental crust. Beneath the ocean-floor sediments, the oceanic crust is predominantly basaltic, while the continental crust may include lower density materials such as granite, sediments and metamorphic rocks.[116] Nearly 75% of the continental surfaces are covered by sedimentary rocks, although they form about 5% of the mass of the crust.[117]
Earth's surface topography comprises both the topography of the ocean surface, and the shape of Earth's land surface. The submarine terrain of the ocean floor has an average bathymetric depth of 4 km, and is as varied as the terrain above sea level. Earth's surface is continually being shaped by internal plate tectonic processes including earthquakes and volcanism; by weathering and erosion driven by ice, water, wind and temperature; and by biological processes including the growth and decomposition of biomass into soil.[118][119]
Tectonic plates
Earth's mechanically rigid outer layer of Earth's crust and upper mantle, the lithosphere, is divided into tectonic plates. These plates are rigid segments that move relative to each other at one of three boundaries types: at convergent boundaries, two plates come together; at divergent boundaries, two plates are pulled apart; and at transform boundaries, two plates slide past one another laterally. Along these plate boundaries, earthquakes, volcanic activity, mountain-building, and oceanic trench formation can occur.[121] The tectonic plates ride on top of the asthenosphere, the solid but less-viscous part of the upper mantle that can flow and move along with the plates.[122]
As the tectonic plates migrate, oceanic crust is subducted under the leading edges of the plates at convergent boundaries. At the same time, the upwelling of mantle material at divergent boundaries creates mid-ocean ridges. The combination of these processes recycles the oceanic crust back into the mantle. Due to this recycling, most of the ocean floor is less than 100 Ma old. The oldest oceanic crust is located in the Western Pacific and is estimated to be 200 Ma old.[123][124] By comparison, the oldest dated continental crust is 4,030 Ma,[125] although zircons have been found preserved as clasts within Eoarchean sedimentary rocks that give ages up to 4,400 Ma, indicating that at least some continental crust existed at that time.[50]
The seven major plates are the Pacific, North American, Eurasian, African, Antarctic, Indo-Australian, and South American. Other notable plates include the Arabian Plate, the Caribbean Plate, the Nazca Plate off the west coast of South America and the Scotia Plate in the southern Atlantic Ocean. The Australian Plate fused with the Indian Plate between 50 and 55 Ma. The fastest-moving plates are the oceanic plates, with the Cocos Plate advancing at a rate of 75 mm/a (3.0 in/year)[126] and the Pacific Plate moving 52–69 mm/a (2.0–2.7 in/year). At the other extreme, the slowest-moving plate is the South American Plate, progressing at a typical rate of 10.6 mm/a (0.42 in/year).[127]
Internal structure
Illustration of Earth's cutaway, not to scale | ||
Depth[129] (km) |
Component layer name |
Density (g/cm3) |
---|---|---|
0–60 | Lithosphere[n 8] | — |
0–35 | Crust[n 9] | 2.2–2.9 |
35–660 | Upper mantle | 3.4–4.4 |
660–2890 | Lower mantle | 3.4–5.6 |
100–700 | Asthenosphere | — |
2890–5100 | Outer core | 9.9–12.2 |
5100–6378 | Inner core | 12.8–13.1 |
Earth's interior, like that of the other terrestrial planets, is divided into layers by their chemical or physical (rheological) properties. The outer layer is a chemically distinct silicate solid crust, which is underlain by a highly viscous solid mantle. The crust is separated from the mantle by the Mohorovičić discontinuity.[130] The thickness of the crust varies from about 6 kilometres (3.7 mi) under the oceans to 30–50 km (19–31 mi) for the continents. The crust and the cold, rigid, top of the upper mantle are collectively known as the lithosphere, which is divided into independently moving tectonic plates.[131]
Beneath the lithosphere is the asthenosphere, a relatively low-viscosity layer on which the lithosphere rides. Important changes in crystal structure within the mantle occur at 410 and 660 km (250 and 410 mi) below the surface, spanning a transition zone that separates the upper and lower mantle. Beneath the mantle, an extremely low viscosity liquid outer core lies above a solid inner core.[132] Earth's inner core may be rotating at a slightly higher angular velocity than the remainder of the planet, advancing by 0.1–0.5° per year, although both somewhat higher and much lower rates have also been proposed.[133] The radius of the inner core is about one-fifth of that of Earth. The density increases with depth. Among the Solar System's planetary-sized objects, Earth is the object with the highest density.
Chemical composition
Earth's mass is approximately 5.97×1024 kg (5.970 Yg). It is composed mostly of iron (32.1% by mass), oxygen (30.1%), silicon (15.1%), magnesium (13.9%), sulfur (2.9%), nickel (1.8%), calcium (1.5%), and aluminium (1.4%), with the remaining 1.2% consisting of trace amounts of other elements. Due to gravitational separation, the core is primarily composed of the denser elements: iron (88.8%), with smaller amounts of nickel (5.8%), sulfur (4.5%), and less than 1% trace elements.[134][49] The most common rock constituents of the crust are oxides. Over 99% of the crust is composed of various oxides of eleven elements, principally oxides containing silicon (the silicate minerals), aluminium, iron, calcium, magnesium, potassium, or sodium.[135][134]
Internal heat
The major heat-producing isotopes within Earth are potassium-40, uranium-238, and thorium-232.[136] At the center, the temperature may be up to 6,000 °C (10,830 °F),[137] and the pressure could reach 360 GPa (52 million psi).[138] Because much of the heat is provided by radioactive decay, scientists postulate that early in Earth's history, before isotopes with short half-lives were depleted, Earth's heat production was much higher. At approximately 3 Gyr, twice the present-day heat would have been produced, increasing the rates of mantle convection and plate tectonics, and allowing the production of uncommon igneous rocks such as komatiites that are rarely formed today.[139][140]
The mean heat loss from Earth is 87 mW m−2, for a global heat loss of 4.42×1013 W.[141] A portion of the core's thermal energy is transported toward the crust by mantle plumes, a form of convection consisting of upwellings of higher-temperature rock. These plumes can produce hotspots and flood basalts.[142] More of the heat in Earth is lost through plate tectonics, by mantle upwelling associated with mid-ocean ridges. The final major mode of heat loss is through conduction through the lithosphere, the majority of which occurs under the oceans.[143]
Gravitational field
The gravity of Earth is the acceleration that is imparted to objects due to the distribution of mass within Earth. Near Earth's surface, gravitational acceleration is approximately 9.8 m/s2 (32 ft/s2). Local differences in topography, geology, and deeper tectonic structure cause local and broad regional differences in Earth's gravitational field, known as gravity anomalies.[144]
Magnetic field
The main part of Earth's magnetic field is generated in the core, the site of a dynamo process that converts the kinetic energy of thermally and compositionally driven convection into electrical and magnetic field energy. The field extends outwards from the core, through the mantle, and up to Earth's surface, where it is, approximately, a dipole. The poles of the dipole are located close to Earth's geographic poles. At the equator of the magnetic field, the magnetic-field strength at the surface is 3.05×10−5 T, with a magnetic dipole moment of 7.79×1022 Am2 at epoch 2000, decreasing nearly 6% per century (although it still remains stronger than its long time average).[145] The convection movements in the core are chaotic; the magnetic poles drift and periodically change alignment. This causes secular variation of the main field and field reversals at irregular intervals averaging a few times every million years. The most recent reversal occurred approximately 700,000 years ago.[146][147]
The extent of Earth's magnetic field in space defines the magnetosphere. Ions and electrons of the solar wind are deflected by the magnetosphere; solar wind pressure compresses the day-side of the magnetosphere, to about 10 Earth radii, and extends the night-side magnetosphere into a long tail.[148] Because the velocity of the solar wind is greater than the speed at which waves propagate through the solar wind, a supersonic bow shock precedes the day-side magnetosphere within the solar wind.[149] Charged particles are contained within the magnetosphere; the plasmasphere is defined by low-energy particles that essentially follow magnetic field lines as Earth rotates.[150][151] The ring current is defined by medium-energy particles that drift relative to the geomagnetic field, but with paths that are still dominated by the magnetic field,[152] and the Van Allen radiation belts are formed by high-energy particles whose motion is essentially random, but contained in the magnetosphere.[153][154] During magnetic storms and substorms, charged particles can be deflected from the outer magnetosphere and especially the magnetotail, directed along field lines into Earth's ionosphere, where atmospheric atoms can be excited and ionized, causing an aurora.[155]
Orbit and rotation
Rotation
Earth's rotation period relative to the Sun—its mean solar day—is 86,400 seconds of mean solar time (86,400.0025 SI seconds).[156] Because Earth's solar day is now slightly longer than it was during the 19th century due to tidal deceleration, each day varies between 0 and 2 ms longer than the mean solar day.[157][158]
Earth's rotation period relative to the fixed stars, called its stellar day by the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS), is 86,164.0989 seconds of mean solar time (UT1), or 23h 56m 4.0989s.[2][n 10] Earth's rotation period relative to the precessing or moving mean March equinox (when the Sun is at 90° on the equator), is 86,164.0905 seconds of mean solar time (UT1) (23h 56m 4.0905s).[2] Thus the sidereal day is shorter than the stellar day by about 8.4 ms.[159]
Apart from meteors within the atmosphere and low-orbiting satellites, the main apparent motion of celestial bodies in Earth's sky is to the west at a rate of 15°/h = 15'/min. For bodies near the celestial equator, this is equivalent to an apparent diameter of the Sun or the Moon every two minutes; from Earth's surface, the apparent sizes of the Sun and the Moon are approximately the same.[160][161]
Orbit
Earth orbits the Sun, making Earth the third-closest planet to the Sun and part of the inner Solar System. Earth's average orbital distance is about 150 million km (93 million mi), which is the basis for the astronomical unit (AU) and is equal to roughly 8.3 light minutes or 380 times Earth's distance to the Moon. Earth orbits the Sun every 365.2564 mean solar days, or one sidereal year. With an apparent movement of the Sun in Earth's sky at a rate of about 1°/day eastward, which is one apparent Sun or Moon diameter every 12 hours. Due to this motion, on average it takes 24 hours—a solar day—for Earth to complete a full rotation about its axis so that the Sun returns to the meridian.
The orbital speed of Earth averages about 29.78 km/s (107,200 km/h; 66,600 mph), which is fast enough to travel a distance equal to Earth's diameter, about 12,742 km (7,918 mi), in seven minutes, and the distance from Earth to the Moon, 384,400 km (238,900 mi), in about 3.5 hours.[3]
The Moon and Earth orbit a common barycenter every 27.32 days relative to the background stars. When combined with the Earth–Moon system's common orbit around the Sun, the period of the synodic month, from new moon to new moon, is 29.53 days. Viewed from the celestial north pole, the motion of Earth, the Moon, and their axial rotations are all counterclockwise. Viewed from a vantage point above the Sun and Earth's north poles, Earth orbits in a counterclockwise direction about the Sun. The orbital and axial planes are not precisely aligned: Earth's axis is tilted some 23.44 degrees from the perpendicular to the Earth–Sun plane (the ecliptic), and the Earth-Moon plane is tilted up to ±5.1 degrees against the Earth–Sun plane. Without this tilt, there would be an eclipse every two weeks, alternating between lunar eclipses and solar eclipses.[3][162]
The Hill sphere, or the sphere of gravitational influence, of Earth is about 1.5 million km (930,000 mi) in radius.[163][n 11] This is the maximum distance at which Earth's gravitational influence is stronger than that of the more distant Sun and planets. Objects must orbit Earth within this radius, or they can become unbound by the gravitational perturbation of the Sun.[163] Earth, along with the Solar System, is situated in the Milky Way and orbits about 28,000 light-years from its center. It is about 20 light-years above the galactic plane in the Orion Arm.[164]
Axial tilt and seasons
The axial tilt of Earth is approximately 23.439281°[2] with the axis of its orbit plane, always pointing towards the Celestial Poles. Due to Earth's axial tilt, the amount of sunlight reaching any given point on the surface varies over the course of the year. This causes the seasonal change in climate, with summer in the Northern Hemisphere occurring when the Tropic of Cancer is facing the Sun, and in the Southern Hemisphere when the Tropic of Capricorn faces the Sun. In each instance, winter occurs simultaneously in the opposite hemisphere.
During the summer, the day lasts longer, and the Sun climbs higher in the sky. In winter, the climate becomes cooler and the days shorter.[165] Above the Arctic Circle and below the Antarctic Circle there is no daylight at all for part of the year, causing a polar night, and this night extends for several months at the poles themselves. These same latitudes also experience a midnight sun, where the sun remains visible all day.[166][167]
By astronomical convention, the four seasons can be determined by the solstices—the points in the orbit of maximum axial tilt toward or away from the Sun—and the equinoxes, when Earth's rotational axis is aligned with its orbital axis. In the Northern Hemisphere, winter solstice currently occurs around 21 December; summer solstice is near 21 June, spring equinox is around 20 March and autumnal equinox is about 22 or 23 September. In the Southern Hemisphere, the situation is reversed, with the summer and winter solstices exchanged and the spring and autumnal equinox dates swapped.[168]
The angle of Earth's axial tilt is relatively stable over long periods of time. Its axial tilt does undergo nutation; a slight, irregular motion with a main period of 18.6 years.[169] The orientation (rather than the angle) of Earth's axis also changes over time, precessing around in a complete circle over each 25,800-year cycle; this precession is the reason for the difference between a sidereal year and a tropical year. Both of these motions are caused by the varying attraction of the Sun and the Moon on Earth's equatorial bulge. The poles also migrate a few meters across Earth's surface. This polar motion has multiple, cyclical components, which collectively are termed quasiperiodic motion. In addition to an annual component to this motion, there is a 14-month cycle called the Chandler wobble. Earth's rotational velocity also varies in a phenomenon known as length-of-day variation.[170]
Earth's annual orbit is elliptical rather than circular, and its closest approach to the Sun is called perihelion. In modern times, Earth's perihelion occurs around 3 January, and its aphelion around 4 July. These dates shift over time due to precession and changes to the orbit, the latter of which follows cyclical patterns known as Milankovitch cycles. The annual change in the Earth–Sun distance causes an increase of about 6.8% in solar energy reaching Earth at perihelion relative to aphelion.[171][n 12] Because the Southern Hemisphere is tilted toward the Sun at about the same time that Earth reaches the closest approach to the Sun, the Southern Hemisphere receives slightly more energy from the Sun than does the northern over the course of a year. This effect is much less significant than the total energy change due to the axial tilt, and most of the excess energy is absorbed by the higher proportion of water in the Southern Hemisphere.[172]
Earth–Moon system
Moon
The Moon is a relatively large, terrestrial, planet-like natural satellite, with a diameter about one-quarter of Earth's. It is the largest moon in the Solar System relative to the size of its planet, although Charon is larger relative to the dwarf planet Pluto.[173][174] The natural satellites of other planets are also referred to as "moons", after Earth's.[175] The most widely accepted theory of the Moon's origin, the giant-impact hypothesis, states that it formed from the collision of a Mars-size protoplanet called Theia with the early Earth. This hypothesis explains the Moon's relative lack of iron and volatile elements and the fact that its composition is nearly identical to that of Earth's crust.[40] Computer simulations suggest that two blob-like remnants of this protoplanet could be inside the Earth.[176][177]
The gravitational attraction between Earth and the Moon causes lunar tides on Earth.[178] The same effect on the Moon has led to its tidal locking: its rotation period is the same as the time it takes to orbit Earth. As a result, it always presents the same face to the planet.[179] As the Moon orbits Earth, different parts of its face are illuminated by the Sun, leading to the lunar phases.[180] Due to their tidal interaction, the Moon recedes from Earth at the rate of approximately 38 mm/a (1.5 in/year). Over millions of years, these tiny modifications—and the lengthening of Earth's day by about 23 μs/yr—add up to significant changes.[181] During the Ediacaran period, for example, (approximately 620 Ma) there were 400±7 days in a year, with each day lasting 21.9±0.4 hours.[182]
The Moon may have dramatically affected the development of life by moderating the planet's climate. Paleontological evidence and computer simulations show that Earth's axial tilt is stabilized by tidal interactions with the Moon.[183] Some theorists think that without this stabilization against the torques applied by the Sun and planets to Earth's equatorial bulge, the rotational axis might be chaotically unstable, exhibiting large changes over millions of years, as is the case for Mars, though this is disputed.[184][185]
Viewed from Earth, the Moon is just far enough away to have almost the same apparent-sized disk as the Sun. The angular size (or solid angle) of these two bodies match because, although the Sun's diameter is about 400 times as large as the Moon's, it is also 400 times more distant.[161] This allows total and annular solar eclipses to occur on Earth.[186]
Asteroids and artificial satellites
Earth's co-orbital asteroids population consists of quasi-satellites: objects with a horseshoe orbit and trojans. There are at least five quasi-satellites, including 469219 Kamoʻoalewa.[187][188] A trojan asteroid companion, 2010 TK7, is librating around the leading Lagrange triangular point, L4, in Earth's orbit around the Sun.[189] The tiny near-Earth asteroid 2006 RH120 makes close approaches to the Earth–Moon system roughly every twenty years. During these approaches, it can orbit Earth for brief periods of time.[190]
As of September 2021[update], there are 4,550 operational, human-made satellites orbiting Earth.[191] There are also inoperative satellites, including Vanguard 1, the oldest satellite currently in orbit, and over 16,000 pieces of tracked space debris.[n 13] Earth's largest artificial satellite is the International Space Station (ISS).[192]
Hydrosphere
Earth's hydrosphere is the sum of Earth's water and its distribution. Most of Earth's hydrosphere consists of Earth's global ocean. Earth's hydrosphere also consists of water in the atmosphere and on land, including clouds, inland seas, lakes, rivers, and underground waters. The mass of the oceans is approximately 1.35×1018 metric tons or about 1/4400 of Earth's total mass. The oceans cover an area of 361.8 million km2 (139.7 million sq mi) with a mean depth of 3,682 m (12,080 ft), resulting in an estimated volume of 1.332 billion km3 (320 million cu mi).[193]
If all of Earth's crustal surface were at the same elevation as a smooth sphere, the depth of the resulting world ocean would be 2.7 to 2.8 km (1.68 to 1.74 mi).[194] About 97.5% of the water is saline; the remaining 2.5% is fresh water.[195][196] Most fresh water, about 68.7%, is present as ice in ice caps and glaciers.[197] The remaining 30% is ground water, 1% surface water (covering only 2.8% of Earth's land)[198] and other small forms of fresh water deposits such as permafrost, water vapor in the atmosphere, biological binding, etc.[199][200]
In Earth's coldest regions, snow survives over the summer and changes into ice. This accumulated snow and ice eventually forms into glaciers, bodies of ice that flow under the influence of their own gravity. Alpine glaciers form in mountainous areas, whereas vast ice sheets form over land in polar regions. The flow of glaciers erodes the surface, changing it dramatically, with the formation of U-shaped valleys and other landforms.[201] Sea ice in the Arctic covers an area about as big as the United States, although it is quickly retreating as a consequence of climate change.[202]
The average salinity of Earth's oceans is about 35 grams of salt per kilogram of seawater (3.5% salt).[203] Most of this salt was released from volcanic activity or extracted from cool igneous rocks.[204] The oceans are also a reservoir of dissolved atmospheric gases, which are essential for the survival of many aquatic life forms.[205] Sea water has an important influence on the world's climate, with the oceans acting as a large heat reservoir.[206] Shifts in the oceanic temperature distribution can cause significant weather shifts, such as the El Niño–Southern Oscillation.[207]
The abundance of water, particularly liquid water, on Earth's surface is a unique feature that distinguishes it from other planets in the Solar System. Solar System planets with considerable atmospheres do partly host atmospheric water vapor, but they lack surface conditions for stable surface water.[208] Despite some moons showing signs of large reservoirs of extraterrestrial liquid water, with possibly even more volume than Earth's ocean, all of them are large bodies of water under a kilometers thick frozen surface layer.[209]
Atmosphere
The atmospheric pressure at Earth's sea level averages 101.325 kPa (14.696 psi),[210] with a scale height of about 8.5 km (5.3 mi).[3] A dry atmosphere is composed of 78.084% nitrogen, 20.946% oxygen, 0.934% argon, and trace amounts of carbon dioxide and other gaseous molecules.[210] Water vapor content varies between 0.01% and 4%[210] but averages about 1%.[3] Clouds cover around two-thirds of Earth's surface, more so over oceans than land.[211] The height of the troposphere varies with latitude, ranging between 8 km (5 mi) at the poles to 17 km (11 mi) at the equator, with some variation resulting from weather and seasonal factors.[212]
Earth's biosphere has significantly altered its atmosphere. Oxygenic photosynthesis evolved 2.7 Gya, forming the primarily nitrogen–oxygen atmosphere of today.[62] This change enabled the proliferation of aerobic organisms and, indirectly, the formation of the ozone layer due to the subsequent conversion of atmospheric O2 into O3. The ozone layer blocks ultraviolet solar radiation, permitting life on land.[213] Other atmospheric functions important to life include transporting water vapor, providing useful gases, causing small meteors to burn up before they strike the surface, and moderating temperature.[214] This last phenomenon is the greenhouse effect: trace molecules within the atmosphere serve to capture thermal energy emitted from the surface, thereby raising the average temperature. Water vapor, carbon dioxide, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone are the primary greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Without this heat-retention effect, the average surface temperature would be −18 °C (0 °F), in contrast to the current +15 °C (59 °F),[215] and life on Earth probably would not exist in its current form.[216]
Weather and climate
Earth's atmosphere has no definite boundary, gradually becoming thinner and fading into outer space.[217] Three-quarters of the atmosphere's mass is contained within the first 11 km (6.8 mi) of the surface; this lowest layer is called the troposphere.[218] Energy from the Sun heats this layer, and the surface below, causing expansion of the air. This lower-density air then rises and is replaced by cooler, higher-density air. The result is atmospheric circulation that drives the weather and climate through redistribution of thermal energy.[219]
The primary atmospheric circulation bands consist of the trade winds in the equatorial region below 30° latitude and the westerlies in the mid-latitudes between 30° and 60°.[220] Ocean heat content and currents are also important factors in determining climate, particularly the thermohaline circulation that distributes thermal energy from the equatorial oceans to the polar regions.[221]
Earth receives 1361 W/m2 of solar irradiance.[222][223] The amount of solar energy that reaches Earth's surface decreases with increasing latitude. At higher latitudes, the sunlight reaches the surface at lower angles, and it must pass through thicker columns of the atmosphere. As a result, the mean annual air temperature at sea level decreases by about 0.4 °C (0.7 °F) per degree of latitude from the equator.[224] Earth's surface can be subdivided into specific latitudinal belts of approximately homogeneous climate. Ranging from the equator to the polar regions, these are the tropical (or equatorial), subtropical, temperate and polar climates.[225]
Further factors that affect a location's climates are its proximity to oceans, the oceanic and atmospheric circulation, and topology.[226] Places close to oceans typically have colder summers and warmer winters, due to the fact that oceans can store large amounts of heat. The wind transports the cold or the heat of the ocean to the land.[227] Atmospheric circulation also plays an important role: San Francisco and Washington DC are both coastal cities at about the same latitude. San Francisco's climate is significantly more moderate as the prevailing wind direction is from sea to land.[228] Finally, temperatures decrease with height causing mountainous areas to be colder than low-lying areas.[229]
Water vapor generated through surface evaporation is transported by circulatory patterns in the atmosphere. When atmospheric conditions permit an uplift of warm, humid air, this water condenses and falls to the surface as precipitation.[219] Most of the water is then transported to lower elevations by river systems and usually returned to the oceans or deposited into lakes. This water cycle is a vital mechanism for supporting life on land and is a primary factor in the erosion of surface features over geological periods. Precipitation patterns vary widely, ranging from several meters of water per year to less than a millimeter. Atmospheric circulation, topographic features, and temperature differences determine the average precipitation that falls in each region.[230]
The commonly used Köppen climate classification system has five broad groups (humid tropics, arid, humid middle latitudes, continental and cold polar), which are further divided into more specific subtypes.[220] The Köppen system rates regions based on observed temperature and precipitation.[231] Surface air temperature can rise to around 55 °C (131 °F) in hot deserts, such as Death Valley, and can fall as low as −89 °C (−128 °F) in Antarctica.[232][233]
Upper atmosphere
The upper atmosphere, the atmosphere above the troposphere,[234] is usually divided into the stratosphere, mesosphere, and thermosphere.[214] Each layer has a different lapse rate, defining the rate of change in temperature with height. Beyond these, the exosphere thins out into the magnetosphere, where the geomagnetic fields interact with the solar wind.[235] Within the stratosphere is the ozone layer, a component that partially shields the surface from ultraviolet light and thus is important for life on Earth. The Kármán line, defined as 100 km (62 mi) above Earth's surface, is a working definition for the boundary between the atmosphere and outer space.[236]
Thermal energy causes some of the molecules at the outer edge of the atmosphere to increase their velocity to the point where they can escape from Earth's gravity. This causes a slow but steady loss of the atmosphere into space. Because unfixed hydrogen has a low molecular mass, it can achieve escape velocity more readily, and it leaks into outer space at a greater rate than other gases.[237] The leakage of hydrogen into space contributes to the shifting of Earth's atmosphere and surface from an initially reducing state to its current oxidizing one. Photosynthesis provided a source of free oxygen, but the loss of reducing agents such as hydrogen is thought to have been a necessary precondition for the widespread accumulation of oxygen in the atmosphere.[238] Hence the ability of hydrogen to escape from the atmosphere may have influenced the nature of life that developed on Earth.[239] In the current, oxygen-rich atmosphere most hydrogen is converted into water before it has an opportunity to escape. Instead, most of the hydrogen loss comes from the destruction of methane in the upper atmosphere.[240]
Life on Earth
Earth is the only known place that has ever been habitable for life. Earth's life developed in Earth's early bodies of water some hundred million years after Earth formed. Earth's life has been shaping and inhabiting many particular ecosystems on Earth and has eventually expanded globally forming an overarching biosphere.[241]
Therefore, life has impacted Earth, significantly altering Earth's atmosphere and surface over long periods of time, causing changes like the Great Oxidation Event.[242] Earth's life has also over time greatly diversified, allowing the biosphere to have different biomes, which are inhabited by comparatively similar plants and animals.[243] The different biomes developed at distinct elevations or water depths, planetary temperature latitudes and on land also with different humidity. Earth's species diversity and biomass reaches a peak in shallow waters and with forests, particularly in equatorial, warm and humid conditions. While freezing polar regions and high altitudes, or extremely arid areas are relatively barren of plant and animal life.[244]
Earth provides liquid water—an environment where complex organic molecules can assemble and interact, and sufficient energy to sustain a metabolism.[245] Plants and other organisms take up nutrients from water, soils and the atmosphere. These nutrients are constantly recycled between different species.[246]
Extreme weather, such as tropical cyclones (including hurricanes and typhoons), occurs over most of Earth's surface and has a large impact on life in those areas. From 1980 to 2000, these events caused an average of 11,800 human deaths per year.[247] Many places are subject to earthquakes, landslides, tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, tornadoes, blizzards, floods, droughts, wildfires, and other calamities and disasters.[248] Human impact is felt in many areas due to pollution of the air and water, acid rain, loss of vegetation (overgrazing, deforestation, desertification), loss of wildlife, species extinction, soil degradation, soil depletion and erosion.[249] Human activities release greenhouse gases into the atmosphere which cause global warming.[250] This is driving changes such as the melting of glaciers and ice sheets, a global rise in average sea levels, increased risk of drought and wildfires, and migration of species to colder areas.[251]
Human geography
Originating from earlier primates in Eastern Africa 300,000 years ago humans have since been migrating and with the advent of agriculture in the 10th millennium BC increasingly settling Earth's land.[252] In the 20th century Antarctica had been the last continent to see a first and until today limited human presence.
Human population has since the 19th century grown exponentially to seven billion in the early 2010s,[253] and is projected to peak at around ten billion in the second half of the 21st century.[254] Most of the growth is expected to take place in sub-Saharan Africa.[254]
Distribution and density of human population varies greatly around the world with the majority living in south to eastern Asia and 90% inhabiting only the Northern Hemisphere of Earth,[255] partly due to the hemispherical predominance of the world's land mass, with 68% of the world's land mass being in the Northern Hemisphere.[256] Furthermore, since the 19th century humans have increasingly converged into urban areas with the majority living in urban areas by the 21st century.[257]
Beyond Earth's surface humans have lived on a temporary basis, with only a few special-purpose deep underground and underwater presences and a few space stations. The human population virtually completely remains on Earth's surface, fully depending on Earth and the environment it sustains. Since the second half of the 20th century, some hundreds of humans have temporarily stayed beyond Earth, a tiny fraction of whom have reached another celestial body, the Moon.[258][259]
Earth has been subject to extensive human settlement, and humans have developed diverse societies and cultures. Most of Earth's land has been territorially claimed since the 19th century by sovereign states (countries) separated by political borders, and 205 such states exist today,[260] with only parts of Antarctica and a few small regions remaining unclaimed.[261] Most of these states together form the United Nations, the leading worldwide intergovernmental organization,[262] which extends human governance over the ocean and Antarctica, and therefore all of Earth.
Natural resources and land use
Earth has resources that have been exploited by humans.[263] Those termed non-renewable resources, such as fossil fuels, are only replenished over geological timescales.[264] Large deposits of fossil fuels are obtained from Earth's crust, consisting of coal, petroleum, and natural gas.[265] These deposits are used by humans both for energy production and as feedstock for chemical production.[266] Mineral ore bodies have also been formed within the crust through a process of ore genesis, resulting from actions of magmatism, erosion, and plate tectonics.[267] These metals and other elements are extracted by mining, a process which often brings environmental and health damage.[268]
Earth's biosphere produces many useful biological products for humans, including food, wood, pharmaceuticals, oxygen, and the recycling of organic waste. The land-based ecosystem depends upon topsoil and fresh water, and the oceanic ecosystem depends on dissolved nutrients washed down from the land.[269] In 2019, 39 million km2 (15 million sq mi) of Earth's land surface consisted of forest and woodlands, 12 million km2 (4.6 million sq mi) was shrub and grassland, 40 million km2 (15 million sq mi) were used for animal feed production and grazing, and 11 million km2 (4.2 million sq mi) were cultivated as croplands.[270] Of the 12–14% of ice-free land that is used for croplands, 2 percentage points were irrigated in 2015.[271] Humans use building materials to construct shelters.[272]
Humans and the environment
Human activities have impacted Earth's environments. Through activities such as the burning of fossil fuels, humans have been increasing the amount of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere, altering Earth's energy budget and climate.[250][274] It is estimated that global temperatures in the year 2020 were 1.2 °C (2.2 °F) warmer than the preindustrial baseline.[275] This increase in temperature, known as global warming, has contributed to the melting of glaciers, rising sea levels, increased risk of drought and wildfires, and migration of species to colder areas.[251]
The concept of planetary boundaries was introduced to quantify humanity's impact on Earth. Of the nine identified boundaries, five have been crossed: Biosphere integrity, climate change, chemical pollution, destruction of wild habitats and the nitrogen cycle are thought to have passed the safe threshold.[276][277] As of 2018, no country meets the basic needs of its population without transgressing planetary boundaries. It is thought possible to provide all basic physical needs globally within sustainable levels of resource use.[278]
Cultural and historical viewpoint
Human cultures have developed many views of the planet.[279] The standard astronomical symbols of Earth are a quartered circle, ,[280] representing the four corners of the world, and a globus cruciger, . Earth is sometimes personified as a deity. In many cultures it is a mother goddess that is also the primary fertility deity.[281] Creation myths in many religions involve the creation of Earth by a supernatural deity or deities.[281] The Gaia hypothesis, developed in the mid-20th century, compared Earth's environments and life as a single self-regulating organism leading to broad stabilization of the conditions of habitability.[282][283][284]
Images of Earth taken from space, particularly during the Apollo program, have been credited with altering the way that people viewed the planet that they lived on, called the overview effect, emphasizing its beauty, uniqueness and apparent fragility.[285][286] In particular, this caused a realization of the scope of effects from human activity on Earth's environment. Enabled by science, particularly Earth observation,[287] humans have started to take action on environmental issues globally,[288] acknowledging the impact of humans and the interconnectedness of Earth's environments.[289]
Scientific investigation has resulted in several culturally transformative shifts in people's view of the planet. Initial belief in a flat Earth was gradually displaced in Ancient Greece by the idea of a spherical Earth, which was attributed to both the philosophers Pythagoras and Parmenides.[290][291] Earth was generally believed to be the center of the universe until the 16th century, when scientists first concluded that it was a moving object, one of the planets of the Solar System.[292]
It was only during the 19th century that geologists realized Earth's age was at least many millions of years.[293] Lord Kelvin used thermodynamics to estimate the age of Earth to be between 20 million and 400 million years in 1864, sparking a vigorous debate on the subject; it was only when radioactivity and radioactive dating were discovered in the late 19th and early 20th centuries that a reliable mechanism for determining Earth's age was established, proving the planet to be billions of years old.[294][295]
See also
Notes
- ^ All astronomical quantities vary, both secularly and periodically. The quantities given are the values at the instant J2000.0 of the secular variation, ignoring all periodic variations.
- ^ aphelion = a × (1 + e); perihelion = a × (1 – e), where a is the semi-major axis and e is the eccentricity. The difference between Earth's perihelion and aphelion is 5 million kilometers.—Wilkinson, John (2009). Probing the New Solar System. CSIRO Publishing. p. 144. ISBN 978-0-643-09949-4.
- ^ Earth's circumference is almost exactly 40,000 km because the meter was calibrated on this measurement—more specifically, 1/10-millionth of the distance between the poles and the equator.
- ^ Due to natural fluctuations, ambiguities surrounding ice shelves, and mapping conventions for vertical datums, exact values for land and ocean coverage are not meaningful. Based on data from the Vector Map and Global Landcover Archived 26 March 2015 at the Wayback Machine datasets, extreme values for coverage of lakes and streams are 0.6% and 1.0% of Earth's surface. The ice sheets of Antarctica and Greenland are counted as land, even though much of the rock that supports them lies below sea level.
- ^ Source for minimum,[19] mean,[20] and maximum[21] surface temperature
- ^ If Earth were shrunk to the size of a billiard ball, some areas of Earth such as large mountain ranges and oceanic trenches would feel like tiny imperfections, whereas much of the planet, including the Great Plains and the abyssal plains, would feel smoother.[90]
- ^ Including the Somali Plate, which is being formed out of the African Plate. See: Chorowicz, Jean (October 2005). "The East African rift system". Journal of African Earth Sciences. 43 (1–3): 379–410. Bibcode:2005JAfES..43..379C. doi:10.1016/j.jafrearsci.2005.07.019.
- ^ Locally varies between 5 and 200 km.
- ^ Locally varies between 5 and 70 km.
- ^ The ultimate source of these figures, uses the term "seconds of UT1" instead of "seconds of mean solar time".—Aoki, S.; Kinoshita, H.; Guinot, B.; Kaplan, G. H.; McCarthy, D. D.; Seidelmann, P. K. (1982). "The new definition of universal time". Astronomy and Astrophysics. 105 (2): 359–361. Bibcode:1982A&A...105..359A.
- ^ For Earth, the Hill radius is , where m is the mass of Earth, a is an astronomical unit, and M is the mass of the Sun. So the radius in AU is about .
- ^ Aphelion is 103.4% of the distance to perihelion. Due to the inverse square law, the radiation at perihelion is about 106.9% of the energy at aphelion.
- ^ As of 4 January 2018, the United States Strategic Command tracked a total of 18,835 artificial objects, mostly debris. See: Anz-Meador, Phillip; Shoots, Debi, eds. (February 2018). "Satellite Box Score" (PDF). Orbital Debris Quarterly News. 22 (1): 12. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2 April 2019. Retrieved 18 April 2018.
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External links
- Earth – Profile – Solar System Exploration – NASA
- Earth Observatory – NASA
- Earth – Videos – International Space Station:
- Video (01:02) on YouTube – Earth (time-lapse)
- Video (00:27) on YouTube – Earth and auroras (time-lapse)
- Google Earth 3D, interactive map
- Interactive 3D visualization of the Sun, Earth and Moon system
- GPlates Portal (University of Sydney)