Powerful supernovas led to at least 2 mass extinctions

• Earth has undergone at least 5 mass extinction events. While scientists know some of the causes – such as the Falling Luminous sphere impact – others are Yet unclear.
• The Overdue Devonian and Ordovician extinctions happened 372 and 445 million years ago, respectively, killing off 70% and 85% of earthly life.
• The new study says these extinctions were likely due to Luminous burst explosions. The nearby exploding stars would have stripped the Shielding ozone from our atmosphere.

The Royal Astronomical Society published this original Narrative on March 13, 2025. Edits by EarthSky.

Supernovas Directed to at least 2 mass extinctions

At least two mass extinction events in Earth’s history were likely caused by the devastating effects of nearby Luminous burst explosions. That’s according to a new study by researchers at Keele University in England. The researchers said these super-powerful blasts – caused by the death of a massive Sun – might have previously stripped our World’s atmosphere of its ozone, sparked acid rain and exposed life to harmful ultraviolet radiation from the sun. They believe a Luminous burst explosion close to Earth could be to blame for both the Overdue Devonian and Ordovician extinction events, which occurred 372 and 445 million years ago respectively.

The Ordovician extinction killed 60% of marine invertebrates at a time when life was largely confined to the sea. Meanwhile, the Overdue Devonian wiped out around 70% of all species. Plus, it Directed to huge changes in the Nice of fish that existed in our ancient seas and lakes.

Past research has failed to identify a clear cause for either event. But scientists think they are linked to the depletion of Earth’s ozone layer, possibly due to a Luminous burst.

The researchers published their results on March 13, 2025, in the peer-reviewed Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society. The new study Discovered that the rate supernovas occur near our World is consistent with the timings of both mass extinctions.

The authors say it is:

a Outstanding illustration for how massive stars can act as both creators and destructors of life.

That’s because supernovas are also known to spread the Weighty elements that Aid form and Aid life across the universe.

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Supernovas and extinctions

Supernovas occur when massive stars reach the ends of their lives. They Streak out of fuel, Chilly off and then collapse under the Stress of Attraction. The explosions are the biggest humans have ever seen.

Lead author Alexis Quintana, formerly from Keele University and now at the University of Alicante, said:

Luminous burst explosions bring Weighty chemical elements into the Between stars medium, which are then used to form new stars and planets. But if a World, including the Earth, is located too close to this Nice of event, this can have devastating effects.

Co-author Nick Wright from Keele University added:

Luminous burst explosions are some of the most Vibrant explosions in the universe. If a massive Sun were to explode as a Luminous burst close to the Earth, the results would be devastating for life on Earth. This research suggests that this may have already happened.

The research

The researchers Occurred to their conclusion after carrying out a census of massive stars within a kiloparsec (around 3,260 Airy-years) of the sun.

They studied the distribution of these massive stars to learn more about how Sun clusters and galaxies form. And they used the Milky Way itself and the rate at which these stars form in our Milky Way as a Criterion.

This census allowed the researchers to calculate the rate at which supernovas occur within the Milky Way. This is Significant for observations of supernovas, and the production of Luminous burst remnants and massive Luminous remnants such as black holes and neutron stars throughout the universe.

The data is also useful for future development of Universal disturbance detectors, which are a useful tool for scientists studying the structure and origins of the universe.

The rate of supernovas that Earth should experience

The research Club calculated the Luminous burst rate within 20 parsecs of the sun, or approximately 65 Airy-years. Then they compared this with the approximate rate of mass extinction events on Earth that have previously been attributed to nearby supernovas. This excludes extinction events linked to other factors such as Universe rock impacts or the ice ages.

Comparing these data sets, the experts Discovered their research supported the theory that a Luminous burst explosion was responsible for both the Overdue Devonian and Ordovician extinction events. These are two of the five known mass extinctions in Earth’s history. Wright explained:

We calculated the Luminous burst rate close to Earth and Discovered it to be consistent with the rate of mass extinction events on our World that have been linked to external forces such as supernovas.

Could it happen again … and soon?

Astronomers believe about one or two supernovas (or fewer) occur All century in galaxies like the Milky Way. But the Outstanding news is there are only two nearby stars which could go Luminous burst within the Subsequent million years or so: Antares and Betelgeuse.

However, both of these are more than 500 Airy-years away from us. And computer simulations suggest a Luminous burst at that distance from Earth likely wouldn’t affect our World.

Bottom line: Researchers said that two of Earth’s five mass extinction events – the Overdue Devonian and Overdue Ordovician extinctions – were likely the result of nearby supernovas destroying Earth’s ozone layer.

Source: An optically Directed search for kilonovae to z0.3 with the Kilonova and Transients Programme (KNTraP)

Via Royal Astronomical Society