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Evidence of a Near-Earth Supernova 10 Million Years Ago, But Did It Do Anything to Life?

2025-10-04 Science & Technology
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Anton Petrov
Anton Petrov
1.6m subscribers

Evidence Suggests Supernova Exploded Near Earth 10 Million Years Ago

Discover the isotope evidence showing a massive star died near our solar system 10 million years ago and see why this event likely influenced evolution rather than causing extinction.

Short Summary

  • Scientists detected anomalous levels of Beryllium-10 pointing to a supernova event between 9 and 11.5 million years ago.
  • Modeling tracked the solar system’s path, suggesting the explosion originated from an active star-forming region like Orion.
  • This close encounter was significant enough to alter atmospheric chemistry but likely avoided mass extinction, potentially boosting life diversification.

This video explores recent studies confirming the traces of a near-Earth supernova event approximately 10 million years ago. We review the tell-tale radioactive isotopes found in Earth's sediments and trace the potential source star cluster.

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Description

Support this channel on Patreon to help me make this a full time job: https://www.patreon.com/whatdamath (Unreleased videos, extra footage, DMs, no ads) Alternatively, PayPal donations can be sent here: http://paypal.me/whatdamath Get a Wonderful Person Tee: https://teespring.com/stores/whatdamath More cool designs are on Amazon: https://amzn.to/3QFIrFX Hello and welcome! My name is Anton and in this video, we will talk about evidence for a nearby supernova 10 million years ago Links: https://www.aanda.org/articles/aa/pdf/2025/09/aa56253-25.pdf https://iopscience.iop.org/article/10.3847/2041-8213/ada27a/pdf https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38428417/ Previous videos: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wrEGvhKAA5s https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DhPmxM0tQxo https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hD-TFRkFLoY https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d8ADrI6H9Xo #supernova #earth #extinction 00:00 - Introduction & What is a Near-Earth Supernova? 00:30 - Effects of Gamma Rays on Earth's Atmosphere 00:57 - Geological Evidence: Iron-60 and Beryllium-10 Isotopes 02:45 - Tracing the Solar System & Orion Region Supernovae 04:40 - Potential Star Clusters & Supernova Distance Estimates 06:12 - The Local Bubble and Recent Supernova Activity 07:50 - Known Supernova Events in Last 6 Million Years 09:22 - Possible Biological Impacts: Virus Evolution & Diversification 10:20 - Early Solar System Supernova Influence 11:20 - Summary & Future Research Directions Enjoy and please subscribe Bitcoin/Ethereum to spare? Donate them here to help this channel grow! bc1qnkl3nk0zt7w0xzrgur9pnkcduj7a3xxllcn7d4 or ETH: 0x60f088B10b03115405d313f964BeA93eF0Bd3DbF Thank you to all Patreon supporters of this channel Special thanks also goes to all the wonderful supporters of the channel through YouTube Memberships Credit: Roberto Mura CC BY SA 4.0 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Scorpius–Centaurus_association#/media/File:Regioni_celesti_scelte_-_OB2.png Tomruen CC BY-SA 4.0https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_Bubble#/media/File:Spin_view_local_bubble_with_stars.gif Kevin Jardine at galaxymap.org https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Local_Bubble#/media/File:Galaxymap.com,_map_100_parsecs_(2022).png Licenses used: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ and relevant Creative Commons licenses

Top Comments (10)

@pezpeculiar9557 2025-10-05

Thank you for presenting actual peer reviewed research! Way too much low-effort slop on YouTube nowadays

140 34 replies
@vagueratcooltrain4266 2025-10-05

Your daily science news is a service to humanity. Thank You, Anton!

61 2 replies
@Liv-Delta78 2025-10-04

Thank you, Anton! You're a Wonderful Person! ❤

38
@khinmaungthein2624 2025-10-04

Thanks, Anton.

31
@michaeloreilly657 2025-10-05

I look forward to the time they analyse these isotopes on the Moon and Mars. We have so much to learn.

25
@HupfderFloh 2025-10-05

Supernovae are significant producers of the element of surprise.

17 1 replies
@thomastodaro2729 2025-10-05

Thanks for your good work, Anton.

10
@Yezpahr 2025-10-05

1:52 That flower on the tree stump time lapse was pure zen.

10
@Alondro77 2025-10-05

Supernovas turn out to be essential for life in so many ways! 1. Creating the heavier elements. 2. Dispersing all manner of elements throughout galaxies. 3. Creating the radioactive isotopes needed to keep terrestrial planet cores hot. 4. Enriching surfaces with new doses of heavier elements periodically. 5. Creating shockwaves in gas clouds to trigger more star formation. Nothing in the universe is useless. It all has purpose.

7 1 replies
@leifjansson8074 2025-10-19

Anton is just pure magic in his videos, being able to connect supernovas in far away star systems to genetic anomalies in tiny African fishes!! Always connecting the dots!!! I LOOVE this channel!!1

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