The Tanganic Lake seen from the space
Our solar system has already gone through a rich dust zone. And a radioactive isotope can bring us information about millions of years, essential to understand the evolution of species in the deepest lake of Africa.
Between Burundi, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Tanzania is the Lago Handicica, over 600 km long and the deepest of the African continent. Contains 16% of all freshwater available in the world.
Now a new one from the University of California publisheda Astrophysical Journal of Letter suggests that a explosion of a supernova between two and three million years ago It may have played a key role in the diversification of viruses that infect the fish of this region.
According to the radiation emitted by this star catastrophe will have been intense enough to induce mutations in terrestrial organismsincluding Tanganic Lake Viruses.
The investigators detected the presence of iron-60, a radioactive isotope generated by stellar explosions, in ocean sediments.
“Iron-60 allows us to follow the activity of past supernoves. We are convinced that one of them occurred during this period, ”says the investigators.
Through the reconstruction of the movements of the celestial bodies, scientists have found that our solar system has gone through a Zone rich in dust for about 6.5 million yearswhich explains the presence of the oldest iron.
“It is fascinating to find out how distant astronomical events may have influenced earth life and the habitability of the planet,” says lead author Caitlyn Nojiri.
The investigation team found a temporal correlation between the supernova and a significant increase in the diversity of viruses in Tanganic lake fish.
The author also explains that “we know, based on previous investigations, that radiation may damage DNA, which could have accelerated evolutionary changes or mutations in cells.”
