The massive 8.8 earthquake that struck Chile may have changed the entire Earth's rotation and shortened the length of days on our planet, a NASA scientist said Monday.

The quake, the seventh strongest earthquake in recorded history, hit Chile Saturday and should have shortened the length of an Earth day by 1.26 milliseconds, according to research scientist Richard Gross at NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory in Pasadena, Calif.

"Perhaps more impressive is how much the quake shifted Earth's axis," NASA officials said in a Monday update.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/35662192/ns/technology_and_science-space/?GT1=43001

1. Why is ice dancing an Olympic sport? At least with figure skating, there's twirling and jumps (and falls!), but with ice dancing, there's nothing. I can't think of another Olympic sport that's even as remotely un-sporty as ice dancing, winter or summer. Anyone care to explain why this boring sport gets 3 nights of primetime coverage?
2. Why is it that the NHL is an American hockey league, but all the great players (and many of the great teams) are Canadian? Shouldn't it be the NAHL (North American Hockey League)? Again, I'm looking for answers here.
3. Why have all the other networks become so tame in their competition with NBC? Do they feel bad? The Olympics are not a ratings killer--they haven't been for a longtime. So why are so many networks acting scared?