Will earthquakes ever be predictable?
How does James Bond guess the other guy’s hand in a high-stakes game of poker? He looks for a tell, of course. Maybe Bond’s opponent twitches when he has a strong hand or tenses when he bluffs. Either way, an observable physical expression gives Bond a clue as to what his opponent has in store. By properly reading a tell, a poker player can minimize his or her losses. Humans engage in very similar high-stake games with the planet itself. Meteorologists study the movements of the atmosphere to forecast the weather. If the atmosphere sends a tropical storm twisting toward a coastal city, meteorologists can raise the alarm and residents can prepare for a possible hurricane. Collectively, we read the tell and then do what we can to minimize our losses. Earthquakes are a different matter. Scientists ca
