What Struck Earth in 775? 344
ananyo writes "Just over 1,200 years ago, the planet was hit by an extremely intense burst of high-energy radiation of unknown cause, scientists studying tree-ring data have found. The radiation burst, which seems to have hit between 774 and 775, was detected by looking at the amounts of the radioactive isotope carbon-14 in tree rings that formed during the 775 growing season in the Northern Hemisphere. The increase in 14C levels is so clear that the scientists conclude that the atmospheric level of 14C must have jumped by 1.2% over the course of no longer than a year, about 20 times more than the normal rate of variation (abstract). Yet, as the only known events that can produce a 14C spike are supernova explosions or giant solar flares, and neither event was observed at the time, astronomers have a cosmic mystery on their hands."
Quite Obvious, Even to Me (Score:5, Funny)
Also, for good measure: Nazis.
Lavos (Score:5, Funny)
Is that you?
It is Quit Obvious (Score:5, Funny)
The Sol system was the site of a major inter-stellar battle. Two great space armadas firing nuclear weapons at each other. Each one trying to gain a foothold in this part of the Western Spiral Arm until of course they realized there was nothing worth it here.
Either that or a Vogon constructor fleet started making a hyper space by-pass. They got the planet between Mars and Jupiter and then the funding ran out.
Re:More articles like this one (Score:5, Funny)
I don't know, I've read the article and it's still not clear to me whether an iPhone or Android is better, who to vote for, whether I should be mad at banks and who to vote for.
On a more serious note, I wholeheartedly agree.
Re:Solar telescopes? (Score:5, Funny)
No. The sun was completely invisible until 1013.
Re:Solar telescopes? (Score:5, Funny)
The Police wrote a song about that, IIRC.
Re:Quite Obvious, Even to Me (Score:5, Funny)
Flooding in Thailand? That's just the rumblings of Cthulhu in his city of Rl'yeh.
Also, as far as what hit Earth in 775, that was plainly a time-travelling Chuck Norris.
Re:Effect on Carbon dating? (Score:1, Funny)
And maybe the creationists were right all along!
Re:Lavos (Score:0, Funny)
Virgin alert!
Re:Quite Obvious, Even to Me (Score:5, Funny)
With that much carbon, it must have been a wet one.
Re:Behind the Sun?! (Score:5, Funny)
"Behind the Sun?"
Maximum Prophet, for your information, the Earth rotates around the Sun.
Being behind the Sun may not matter here, if the effect was strong and _long_ enough to elevate C14 levels.
Wrong! Back then, the universe rotated around the earth. Everybody knows that. So it could be perfectly true back then, that this supernova hid behind the sun.
Re:Quite Obvious, Even to Me (Score:5, Funny)
Re:More articles like this one (Score:4, Funny)
I don't know, I've read the article and it's still not clear to me whether an iPhone or Android is better, who to vote for, whether I should be mad at banks and who to vote for.
Whether an iPhone or Android is better: Yes. While both iPhones and Android phones also emit radiation, that radiation is for sure less harmful than the high-energy radiation from this event.
Who to vote for: It was an event of huge radiation. Radiation is bad, so to prevent such radiation in the future, you should vote for the Green: Since they are against radiation, they will certainly make sure that such a disastrous event (so disastrous that even the records about it got destroyed!) won't happen again.
Whether you should be mad at banks: Banks usually have security personnel, therefore being mad at that place might not be a good idea. On the other hand, if you are a danger to yourself when going mad, it may be a better idea to be mad at a bank than when alone at home. Just make sure it's not your bank you get mad at, because they might not let you in again afterwards.
Who to vote for: Well, this was possibly caused by solar flares. Now the Green are all for solar energy, which, as this event shows, is not without danger. Therefore you should vote for anyone but the Green.
SCNR :-)
Re:Quite Obvious, Even to Me (Score:5, Funny)
All I see is the universal Linux file permission.
Re:Behind the Sun? (Score:3, Funny)
First, we need a llama and then lots and lots of bubble wrap.
Re:Quite Obvious, Even to Me (Score:4, Funny)
But his name was Josef Gottsdamm before, and he was a plumber from Sheissburg.
Re:Quite Obvious, Even to Me (Score:5, Funny)
Couldn't've been, Hitler is still in my textbooks.
Duh. We have to go back and rescue him every time one of you noobs gets your time travel license.
Re:Behind the Sun? (Score:2, Funny)
Since the humans of that time
Guess how I know you watch a lot of sci-fi?
Re:Quite Obvious, Even to Me (Score:5, Funny)
All that means is that whomever time traveled failed to kill Hitler.
Of course, the world has a way of self correcting so even if we had killed Hitler we'd just be dealing with someone else.
No... to thoroughly get rid of Hitler was must first eliminate the conditions which lead to the Nazi rise in power. To do that it would be desirable to avoid the punitive nature of the Treaty of Versailles. Though to avoid that we really need to have avoided the first World War. Obviously, the best way to avoid that is too prevent Duke Ferdinand from being assassinated....
Frankly, I don't want to continue stepping backwards but suffice it to say, I think the best course of action is to go back far enough to find the first homo sapiens and brutally murder them all. That should prevent Hitler from creating the Holocaust.
Re:Behind the Sun? (Score:5, Funny)
that is a great idea...
now how do you propose to find this one particular needle in a giant haystack?
Maybe we could start by looking for elevated 14C level's in the tree rings?
Circular evidence is still evidence right?
Re:Solar telescopes? (Score:4, Funny)
Mod parent insightful!!!!
Re:Behind the Sun?! (Score:5, Funny)
Wrong again. Everyone knows the Earth was flat in 775...so there was no rotation only spinnning. Perfectly plausible to have a supernova hide under the Earth.
Re:Effect on Carbon dating? (Score:5, Funny)
The Great Rabbit will protect me.
Re:Behind the Sun?! (Score:5, Funny)
Of course, it all makes sense now. The supernove killed all the turtles, so the Earth had no choice but to start rotating.
Re:Quite Obvious, Even to Me (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Quite Obvious, Even to Me (Score:4, Funny)
Exactly. In 773, the world had write and execute permissions--clearly a mistake. Mankind tried to correct this error in 774 by making it read-only for the world, but it was too late. By then the world had already installed its payload--a virus for the ages, unlike any that had ever been seen before. There was nothing to be done once the execution bit was enabled in 775 except to mourn for the dead. The cycle is set to repeat itself every 777 years.
Mind blown.
Re:Quite Obvious, Even to Me (Score:4, Funny)
Success!!!
(and tell your grandmother I said "Hi")
Just kidding, she wouldn't speak to me at the high school dance...