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Nearby Supernova Causes Mass Extinction?

hcg50a writes "AP has a story on Yahoo about a theory that a blast of gamma rays from a distant supernova destroyed the earth's ozone layer, allowing normally shielded intense UV radiation from the sun to kill life on earth. The second-largest extinction in the Earth's history, the killing of two-thirds of all species, may have been caused by ultraviolet radiation from the sun after gamma rays destroyed the Earth's ozone layer. Astronomers are proposing that a supernova exploded within 10,000 light years of the Earth, destroying the chemistry of the atmosphere and allowing the sun's ultraviolet rays to cook fragile, unprotected life forms."

1 of 71 comments (clear)

  1. Where's the remains? by glm · · Score: 1, Redundant

    Where's the nebula? We should be able to see the remains of a close-by super nova.

    Thanks.

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    Paper out on drive J: