The Moon Is Not Acting Normally — Something Weird Is Happening on It

The Moon may look calm and lifeless from Earth, but new research suggests something stranger is happening beneath its surface. Scientists using gravity data from NASA’s GRAIL mission found that the Moon’s near side — the side always facing Earth — appears to “flex” more than the far side under Earth’s gravitational pull. That means the Moon’s interior is not as balanced and symmetrical as researchers once assumed.

The explanation is not science fiction. The near side of the Moon seems to have a warmer, less rigid mantle than the far side, possibly because it contains higher levels of radioactive elements such as thorium. Those elements release heat as they decay, helping explain why the near side has dark volcanic plains while the far side is more rugged and heavily cratered.