Apr 16 2013

We are starstuff

Apparently scientists at the Technical University of Munich in Germany have established a link between specific non-terrestrial isotopes of iron in fossilized bacteria, and a specific supernova: IOW, actual stellar debris collected from exploding stars into the tissues of an earth organism. Starstuff, indeed.

This apparent signal of iron-60, Bishop said, could be the remains of magnetite (Fe3O4) chains formed by bacteria on the sea floor as radioactive supernova debris showered on them from the atmosphere, after crossing inter-stellar space at nearly the speed of light.

Supernova left its mark in ancient bacteria