7-11 July 2019
EV93 - CEL 9: Radiation Exposure to Terrestrial Organisms and Organisms in Space from Supernovae and Gamma Ray Burst? (Karam)Orlando V 06:45 - 07:45 |
| There is a great deal of speculation about the possible impact that nearby supernovae and gamma ray bursts might have on life on Earth; at least one credible assertion has been made that a nearby supernova or gamma ray burst might have triggered a mass extinction over 400 million years ago. At the same time, supernovae have gone off so close to Earth that debris has been found in deep-sea sediments – and so recently that it includes live radioactivity in the form of Fe-60 and Pu-244. In this CEL we will discuss the forms of radiation emitted by supernovae and gamma ray bursts and how close one might have to be to cause harm. For good measure, we’ll also talk about how events such as these might affect organisms traveling through space, the subject of a great deal of speculation under the topic of “panspermia.” |
