First biological evidence of a supernova
Wednesday, May 8, 2013 - 12:00
in Paleontology & Archaeology
In fossil remnants of bacteria, researchers have found a radioactive iron isotope that they trace back to a supernova in our cosmic neighborhood. This is the first proven biological signature of a starburst. An age determination showed that the supernova must have occurred about 2.2 million years ago, roughly around the time when the modern human developed.