Possible explanation for mass extinctions AND climate change

It makes perfect sense to me to look beyond the Earth for answers to some of the mysteries we debate. Man can only progress once he has decided to explore outside of his box.

The orbit of our moon affects our planet, the orbit of our planet around the sun affects our planet, so why shouldn't the orbit of our solar system through our galaxy affect our planet. This article is a brief look at how the path of our solar system through the vast expanse of the milky way may have an effect on our lives here on planet Earth.

Earlier this year, a team of researchers at the University of Kansas came up with an out-of-this-world explanation for the phenomenon of mass extinctions on Earth that hinges upon the fact that stars move through space and sometimes rush headlong through galaxies, or approach closely enough to cause a brief cosmic tryst

"Our solar system has a shock wave around it, and it produces a good quantity of the cosmic rays that hit the Earth. Why shouldn't the galaxy have a shock wave, too?" Melott asks.

The galactic bow shock is only present on the north side of the Milky Way's galactic plane, because that is the side facing the Virgo Cluster as it moves through space, and it would cause superheated gas and cosmic rays to stream behind it, the researchers say. Normally, our galaxy's magnetic field shields our solar system from this "galactic wind." But every 64 million years, the solar system's cyclical travels take it above the galactic plane.

"When we emerge out of the disk, we have less protection, so we become exposed to many more cosmic rays," Melott has said.

The boost in cosmic-ray exposure may have a direct effect on Earth's organisms, according to paleontologist Bruce Lieberman. The radiation would lead to higher rates of genetic mutations in organisms or interfere with their ability to repair DNA damage. In this way, the process could lead to new species while killing off others.

www.dailygalaxy.com...

[edit on 3-6-2010 by and14263]

reply to post by and14263


It's here.... it's been posted already....
www.abovetopsecret.com...

Good catch.

Please add to existing thread.

Closed.