Convection brings fluid motion to all dimensions of Earth, ranging from the solutal convection that feeds nutrients to the microworld, to the mantle convection that moves the mountains and seas of our planet. Fluid-structure interactions (FSI) involving convective flows also have important implications, and one example is the convection of Earth's mantle driving the plate tectonics. Inspired by these phenomena, recent laboratory experiments and theoretical efforts have focused on understanding the coupling between fluid and solid as well as the coupling between momentum and heat. These investigations show that boundary motion is not only passive to the fluid flows, but instead creates a thermal blanket that locally alters the heat transfer of the fluid and thus the flow patterns. A unique perspective of FSI emerges: Moving solids may be modeled as active particles whose dynamics are closely coupled to the convective flows and are subject to fluctuations. In this Perspective, we will outline a set of studies involving the interaction between moving structures and thermal convection, and outlook how laboratory-scale experiments and math models could help us understand the interior of Earth.

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• Convection