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Every so often, incredibly energetic charged particles will reach Earth - and we're not sure what could possibly be powerful enough to generate these cosmic rays. Now we might have the answer...and it's just an absurdly specific set of circumstances. More »
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450 million years ago, the Earth's warm oceans teemed with life we'd recognize as seaweed, starfish, clams, and coral reefs. Suddenly, over half these species died. Now scientists say it was caused by cosmic rays - and could happen again. More »
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If you were wondering what the drastic decrease in solar activity might mean to you and me, wonder no longer — cosmic rays are hitting Earth at a much higher rate than any time in the last 50 years. More »
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Chinese astronomers observed this supernova, RCW 86, in the year 185 A.D. But it's still pumping out cosmic rays, and a new image shows how supernova remnants like this one are the Milky Way's "super-efficient particle accelerators." [Chandra Observatory] More »
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You already know that the sun can be dangerous because of the harmful effects of UV rays, but were you aware of the problems posed by it failing to protect us from cosmic rays? More »
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Would cosmic rays turn a man into a fantastically stretchable being, human torch or just plain (orange) rocky thing? That's a question that NASA may be about to answer, as they test the body's endurance to space radiation. More »
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