The Reason For The Last Ice Age May Have Been Due To A Shift In The Solar System

Around two million years ago, our planet may have encountered cold, dense interstellar clouds of gas and dust that altered the climate, triggering a series of ice ages.
Previously, scientists have come up with a number of theories for the occurrences of ice ages, including volcanic eruptions, shifting plate tectonics, the Earth’s tilt/rotation, and carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere. These are all environment-related changes.
Now, a team of scientists from Boston University has found that the reason for the Earth’s climate cooling down may be due to a shift in the solar system.
At that time, our early human ancestors lived alongside prehistoric animals, such as saber-toothed tigers, mastodons, and giant rodents. The planet was also in the middle of an ice age that only ended about 12,000 years ago.
The researchers think that the timing of the ice age could have been influenced by the position of our solar system in the galaxy.
Their findings suggest that the solar system might have encountered an interstellar cloud that was so dense that it interfered with the sun’s solar wind, which refers to a stream of charged particles that flow from the sun out past Pluto.
The solar wind makes up the heliosphere, which shields Earth’s surface from radiation and galactic rays that could potentially modify DNA. Many scientists believe this shield was what allowed for the evolution of life on Earth.
According to the latest paper, published in Nature Astronomy, the cold cloud of interstellar material compressed the heliosphere in such a way that Earth and the other planets in the solar system were removed from its protection for a short period.
The authors of the study created computer models to demonstrate the effect that interstellar dust on the heliosphere would have had on Earth.

standret – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only
They went back in time to observe the position of the sun two million years ago, along with the location of the heliosphere and the rest of the solar system.
They also tracked the path of the Local Ribbon of Cold Clouds system, a string of thick, cold clouds mostly made of hydrogen atoms.
Their simulations revealed that one dense cloud close to the end of that ribbon could have collided with the heliosphere.
As a result of the collision, Earth would have been left fully exposed to the interstellar medium, where dust and gas combine with the remains of exploded stars, which include iron and plutonium.
Usually, the heliosphere would block these particles, but without its protection, these radioactive elements could reach Earth easily.
This aligns with the increase of iron and plutonium isotopes in the ocean, Antarctic snow, ice cores, and on the moon during that same time period. It also corresponds with temperature records that indicate a cooling period on Earth.
It’s impossible to determine the exact impact the cold cloud had on our planet. The scientists don’t know for sure whether it could’ve truly triggered an ice age.
So, for now, they will continue investigating other interstellar clouds further back in time to see if they line up with ice ages.
You can read the study here.
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