I am a qualified scientist : at least as defined by my college degree and I have "advanced" knowlege that I will present here and you will be the first to hear my new and revolutionary theories.
Scenario: A powerful nuke explodes in the center of the earth splitting the planet into a shower of space debris.
No problem; Earth will re-assemble in it's exact location and life will emerge again.
Go ahead and laugh, but read on.
To explain this I must first define some properties: some of which have been mysteries to other scientist because they fail to see the obvious.
1. What is gravity?
Some propose that the sun or any celestial body pulls on space and this is gravity. They believe that Earth has a pulling power that keeps us on the surface. Sorry Charley!!!!
Proof: Space is like the sea. Travel to the bottom of the sea and the weight of the above water will crush you. This is gravity.
The vastness of space guarantees that Earth rest deep beneath any possible surface of space. Even though it may appear that space has zero weight the shear mass of it defies that logic and it's weight is enormous.
Defined: Thus gravity on earth is the weight of space pressing against it. We are not being sucked in we are being pushed in. The larger the surface for space to press against equals the amount of pressure...ex. smaller planets have less gravity because they have less surface for space to rest.
Flow of matter: Where there is a void in space; space must flow to fill it and thus push any light weight matter into the void with it. Light weight matter only because, like the sea, some objects will be too massive to float into a void(ie. other planets).
Conclusion: A nuke that vaporizes Earth will leave a void in space with the same mass of Earth and it's atmosphere thus causing space to push that matter back into the void and reform into a spheerical body. It is a spheer because that's what you get when pressure is applied equally in all directions(ie. blowing a bubble with bubble gum...you can't blow square bubbles).
There are no square planets and there can never be any for this reason.
The matter of Earth will thus re-assemble, although picking up some new matter and losing some old matter will occur, in the exact same location.
The Earth may be re-arranged and take on new matter and even lose some matter but it will never be "destroyed" unless the mass of space itself has changed so that it can no longer push matter into the void we call Earth.
