Nearby Supernovae Likely Triggered Two Ancient Mass Extinctions

Water Formed Much Sooner After the Big Bang Than We Thought, Scientists Say—Which May Mean Life Did, Too

Primordial supernovae got the ball rolling a quick hundred million years or so after the start of the universe.

Imagine the next scene. During any one night, one of the numerous stars that flicker in the sky, a dying red giant and only a few light years away, begins to shine with a blinding intensity. It is not a fleeting flash, but a glow that increases every second and floods the night sky with a supernatural light.The star has become a supernova, a colossal cosmic explosion that liberates, in an instant, more energy than the Sun produces in all its lif…

Supernova study suggests space blasts wiped out ancient life on Earth

Scientists say a supernova explosion close to Earth could be to blame for two extinction events.

Supernovas may have caused mass extinctions that killed 85% of life on Earth

Supernovas are the most powerful explosions humans have ever seen – but just how close are we? (Picture: NASA Goddard / SWNS) Exploding stars known as supernovas may have sparked mass extinctions that wiped out up to 85% of animals on Earth. ‘Supernova explosions are some of the most energetic explosions in the Universe’, said Dr Nick Wright, an astrophysics lecturer at Keels University. ‘If a massive star were to explode as a supernova close to…

Two of Earth's mass extinctions were not climate or asteroid related

The rate of stars going supernova near Earth appears to match two mass extinctions -- 372 million years ago and 445 million years ago.

Violent supernovae 'triggered at least two Earth extinctions,' study suggests

At least two mass extinction events in Earth's history were likely caused by the "devastating" effects of nearby supernova explosions, a new study suggests.