Great article, I had wondered about magnetic reversal of the poles. I have a different guess as to underlying reason for the shift — a guess that modern (last 500 years) of “enlightenment” and western science will dismiss as mystical absurdity. I believe, and I think I could muster some questionable and weak and philosophical (with some sketchy observable) evidence, that the whole thing (consciousness, biological, “inorganic”, all matter and energy) has a type of intelligence and even a type of sentience that is all one thing that we do not yet identify or understand. Since I am not active in geology or earth sciences and since I am old, focused on biology, anthropology and art I can afford to have laughable speculation.

One thing is currently obvious. We have mustered somewhat of a early warning system about space debris and near earth collisions but have shown little ability to muster a collective response to global warming or a plan for inevitable catastrophic planetary episodes. Some change in our species filter of thinking will have to occur before we demonstrate the ability to care for one another or the inevitable existential threats to our fairly conscious and relatively advanced species.