The Earth’s magnetic fields help sustain life on our planet, but they could also be an engine for climate change and why some species have become extinct.
This is the bold statement made in a scientific work published in the journal Science this week.
The article in the magazine claims that atmospheric changes more than 40,000 years ago had such a radical impact on the planet that it caused significant damage to the environment and even extinction events.
Protecting the Earth from harmful ultraviolet radiation, the planet’s magnetic fields play a vital role in preserving life, but vary in power with magnetic poles, sometimes even changing position.
This phenomenon, criticism from the statements of the paper say that it has never been conclusively linked to extinction events or major ecological disasters in the history of the Earth.
How did scientists come up with this theory?
The scientists behind the research examined the rings of kauri trees, a species native to New Zealand that is up to 1,000 years old and whose wood survives for tens of thousands of years in swamps and wetlands as the basis of their theory.
Using carbon dating techniques, they discovered that the trees they examined were over 40,000 years old, which would mean that they grew up in a time known as the “Laschamp Excursion.”
The latter was an event in which the Earth’s magnetic fields weakened significantly. Studies of wood samples have shown a carbon-14 peak in tree rings, suggesting that the Earth has been subjected to high levels of cosmic particles and radiation from space.
The team estimates that these particles contributed to the decomposition of the Earth’s ozone layer, which in turn triggered changes in global climate change and the environment.
Some critics are skeptical
While critics suggest that the research throws up some interesting avenues of investigation, they say that researchers exceed their conclusions.
In particular, their connection between climate change and other events that occurred at the same time, such as the disappearance of the Neanderthals and the advancement of sophisticated styles of rock painting.
As for the researchers, they claim that the first humans took refuge in caves due to increased radiation and used ocher, the main material used in cave painting, as a rudimentary sunscreen. But others point out that they are known to have lived in caves and used the earth’s pigment for artistic purposes for tens of thousands of years before the “Laschamp Excursion.”
Do magnetic fields contribute to drastic changes in the world’s climate? Although the research published by Science has merit, critics conclude, the jury seems to be included in the wider scientific community.
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