Scientist have known that the earth’s magnetic poles are reversed since the late 1960s. Magnetic poles are not static and they are generated by electric currents from the planet’s outer core, which is constantly moving.
Page Slash Gear inform, the last pole reversal is believed to have no major environmental impact. The magnetic field is getting weaker and allows more cosmic rays to reach the planet’s surface. Despite being bathed in more cosmic rays, plant and animal life is believed not to be significantly affected.
But a new study finds that additional cosmic increases may have depleted ozone concentrations. That allows more ultraviolet radiation to pass through the atmosphere.
Researchers believe it is contributing to changing weather patterns that may have expanded North America’s ice sheet while drying out Australia. This could have triggered the extinction of many of the planet’s major species.
The study authors also believe solar storms could propel early humans into caves for shelter. According to the study, competition for resources between the remaining species could be the reason early Neanderthals extinct.
So far, scientists have not been able to come to a consensus on what caused the Neanderthal extinctions. Several previous studies have shown that extinctions occurred naturally due to inbreeding with modern humans.
Others believe that Neanderthals could have lost the competition for resources as the number of modern humans began to increase. The researchers in the new study believe that it is not coincidence that Neanderthals went extinct directly after the large shift of the planet’s magnetic poles.
Researchers turned to ancient kauri trees that lived in Neanderthal times, looking for records of radiocarbon levels in their rings. The rings show evidence of increased radiocarbon when the magnetic field reverses, known as excursion Laschamps.
The team believes that this event could have contributed to the “downfall” of Neanderthals. But they admit it is difficult to know exactly when they died. Also read: Former British Army Commander: Russia Laugh at Us, USA Shaking His Head
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