Did a Supernova Kill Off Megalodon 2.5 Million Years Ago?

[Oxytropidoceras]

Megalodon may have been killed off by Supernova 

radiation, Hannah Osborne, Newsweek, December 13, 2018

https://www.newsweek.com/megalodon-extinct-shark-supernova-cosmic-ray-cancer-mutations-1256980

 

Massive supernova explosion may have wiped out giant 

prehistoric sharks, scientists say. Megalodon may have 

been among creatures driven to extinction after cosmic 

particles drove up cancer rates, new study claims

The Independent, Josh Gabbatiss, December 2018

https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/supernova-stars-explosion-giant-sharks-prehistoric-megalodon-extinction-science-a8679636.html

 

The paper is:

 

Adrian L. Melott, Franciole Marinho, and Laura Paulucci

2018, Hypothesis: Muon Radiation Dose and Marine 

Megafaunal Extinction at the End-Pliocene Supernova.

Astrobiology, Published Online, November 27, 2018

https://doi.org/10.1089/ast.2018.1902

 

and at

 

Muon Radiation Dose and Marine Megafaunal Extinction at the end-Pliocene Supernova
Adrian L. Melott (Kansas), Franciole Marinho, Laura Paulucci
(Submitted on 26 Dec 2017 (v1), last revised 17 Oct 2018 (this version, v2))
https://arxiv.org/pdf/1712.09367.pdf
https://arxiv.org/abs/1712.09367

 

Yours,

 

Paul H.

Edited December 16, 2018 by Oxytropidoceras
Added link to PDF version of paper

[Ramon]

That’s an interesting theory, however that wouldn’t explain why other big animals like mammoths, and other terrestrial megafauna from all over the world didn’t go extinct as well.

[DeepTimeIsotopes]

4 hours ago, Ramon said:

That’s an interesting theory, however that wouldn’t explain why other big animals like mammoths, and other terrestrial megafauna from all over the world didn’t go extinct as well.

I thought they had gone extinct because their food source was diminishing from competition by Livyatan and Great Whites? 

[DeepTimeIsotopes]

Here’s a video from PBS Eons about this subject if anyone is interested.