Nearby Supernova Explosions May Have Caused Several Mass Extinctions on Earth

Nearby Supernova Explosions May Have Caused Several Mass Extinctions on Earth

According to new research from Keele University and the Universidad de Alicante, near-Earth explosions of giant O- and B-type stars occur at a rate of 2.5 per one billion year; this result supports the view that such events could have caused one or more of the recorded mass extinction events on Earth.

Artist’s impression of Zeta Puppis, an O-type star approximately 1,400 light-years away in the constellation Puppis. Image credit: Tahina Ramiaramanantsoa.

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