Researchers wonder if ancient supernovae prompted human ancestors to walk upright

By University of Kansas

Image: NASA

A new paper from a University of Kansas researcher suggests bipedalism arose when ancient supernovae caused lightning that burned Earth's forests and prompted human ancestors to walk upright.

A paper published today in the Journal of Geology makes the case: Supernovae bombarded Earth with cosmic energy starting as many as 8 million years ago, with a peak some 2.6 million years ago, initiating an avalanche of electrons in the lower atmosphere and setting off a chain of events that feasibly ended with bipedal hominins such as homo habilis, dubbed "handy man."

The authors believe atmospheric ionization probably triggered an enormous upsurge in cloud-to-ground lightning strikes that ignited forest fires around the globe. These infernos could be one reason ancestors of homo sapiens developed bipedalism—to adapt in savannas that replaced torched forests in northeast Africa.

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