Overview
- Mars’s gravitational pull emerged as a major driver of Earth’s long‑period orbital variations in peer‑reviewed simulations led by Stephen Kane.
- Removing Mars from the models erased a roughly 2.4‑million‑year grand cycle and a separate ~100,000‑year eccentricity rhythm linked to ice‑age pacing.
- Increasing Mars’s mass shortened and intensified those eccentricity cycles, indicating a stronger climatic imprint with a heavier Mars.
- A ~405,000‑year eccentricity cycle persisted regardless of Mars, reflecting dominant influences from Venus and Jupiter on that component.
- The experiments also showed a stabilizing effect on Earth’s axial‑tilt wobble, and researchers say such small‑planet effects must be accounted for when assessing exoplanet climates.