Scientists have uncovered new evidence that a lethal pulse of UV radiation from the Sun may have played an important role in the Earth’s biggest mass extinction event that shook the planet about 250 million years ago.
The study, published earlier this month in the journal Science Advances, found that pollen preserved in 250 million-year-old rocks contain compounds that function like sunscreen which plants likely produced to protect themselves from the harmful ultraviolet (UV-B) radiation.
