Biological Effects of Stellar Collapse Neutrinos
arXiv:astro-ph/9505028 · doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.76.999
Abstract
Massive stars in their final stages of collapse radiate most of their binding energy in the form of MeV neutrinos. The recoil atoms that they produce in elastic scattering off nuclei in organic tissue create radiation damage which is highly effective in the production of irreparable DNA harm, leading to cellular mutation, neoplasia and oncogenesis. Using a conventional model of the galaxy and of the collapse mechanism, the periodicity of nearby stellar collapses and the radiation dose are calculated. The possible contribution of this process to the paleontological record of mass extinctions is examined.
gzipped PostScript (filename.ps.Z), 12 pages. Final version, Phys. Rev. Lett., in press
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- Reply to astro-ph/9612003 ("Comments on 'Biological Effects of Stellar Collapse Neutrinos'") and astro-ph/9612214 ("Volcanogenic Dark Matter and Mass Extinctions")