Cosmic Airburst: A Prehistoric Catalyst for Levant's Agricultural Revolution
A new study suggests that the advent of agriculture in the Levant region, which includes present-day Syria, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine, Israel, and parts of Turkey, was triggered by a cosmic airburst that occurred 12,800 years ago. The impact caused environmental changes, forcing hunter-gatherers in the prehistoric settlement of Abu Hureyra to adopt agricultural practices for survival. The evidence includes a carbon-rich layer with high concentrations of platinum, nanodiamonds, and melted minerals, indicating extreme temperatures. The study also links shock fractures in quartz grains from the impact to those observed in nuclear bomb explosions, suggesting similarities in the effects of low-altitude, lower-pressure cosmic airbursts and atomic detonations.