The Milky Way Shaped Life On Earth

Cosmic radiation penetrating the atmosphere promotes the formation of clouds which have a cooling effect on Earth's climate.

by Staff Writers

Copenhagen, Denmark (SPX) Nov 15, 2006

Frenzied star-making in the Milky Way Galaxy starting about 2400 million years ago had extraordinary effects on life on Earth. Harvests of bacteria in the sea soared and crashed in a succession of booms and busts, with an instability not seen before or since.

According to new results published by Dr. Henrik Svensmark of the Danish National Space Center in the journal Astronomische Nachrichten, the variability in the productivity of life is closely linked to the cosmic rays, the atomic bullets that rain down on the Earth from exploded stars.

http://www.terradaily.com/reports/The_Milky_Way_Shaped_Life_On_Earth_999.html