A Supernova 2.6 Million Years Ago Could Have Wiped Out the Ocean's Large Animals

By Evan Gough December 12, 2018
A Supernova 2.6 Million Years Ago Could Have Wiped Out the Ocean's Large Animals

“This time, it’s different. We have evidence of nearby events at a specific time." - Dr. Adrian Melott, University of Kansas.

“As far back as the mid-1990s, people said, ‘Hey, look for iron-60. It’s a telltale because there’s no other way for it to get to Earth but from a supernova.’" - Adrian Melott, University of Kansas.

"The best description of a muon would be a very heavy electron—but a muon is a couple hundred times more massive than an electron." - Adrian Melott, lead author, University of Kanasas.

Sources:

  • Scientific Paper: The Pliocene marine megafauna extinction and its impact on functional diversity.

  • Press Release: Researchers consider whether supernovae killed off large ocean animals at dawn of Pleistocene

  • Scientific Paper: Hypothesis: Muon Radiation Dose and Marine Megafaunal Extinction at the end-Pliocene Supernova

  • Scientific Paper: EVIDENCE FOR NEARBY SUPERNOVA EXPLOSIONS

    • Evan Gough