Scientists at the University of Kansas theorized that the Ordovician extinction, which occurred 450 million years ago, could have been caused by a gamma-ray burst that weakened Earth’s ozone layer. They said that a large burst lasting as little as ten seconds could strip away half the ozone layer, which would leave plants and animals unprotected from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation.
Scientists at the University of Kansas theorized that the Ordovician extinction, which occurred 450 million years ago, could have been caused by a gamma-ray burst that weakened Earth’s ozone layer. They said that a large burst lasting as little as ten seconds could strip away half the ozone layer, which would leave plants and animals unprotected from the sun’s ultraviolet radiation.
