For decades, scientists have debated what caused the Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event, the cataclysm that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago.
The prevailing theory has always been a massive asteroid impact—the infamous Chicxulub crater in Mexico’s Yucatán Peninsula serves as compelling evidence.
But what if that impact wasn’t random?
What if something far more mysterious and cosmic was at play?
A groundbreaking study published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society suggests that dark matter—a mysterious, invisible substance making up 27% of the universe—may have triggered not just the dinosaurs’ extinction, but nearly every mass extinction event in Earth’s history.
It sounds like science fiction, but the theory, proposed by Michael Rampino, a geoscientist at New York University, is backed by astronomical patterns that align with Earth’s worst extinctions.
Earth’s 26-Million-Year Mass Extinction Cycle
One of the most baffling discoveries in paleontology is that mass extinctions don’t happen randomly.
Instead, they appear to occur in cycles, roughly every 26 to 30 million years.
This periodic destruction matches the timing of something else—our Solar System’s movement through the Milky Way.
As our Sun and planets orbit the center of the galaxy, we don’t travel in a flat plane. Instead, we bob up and down, passing through the densest part of the Milky Way’s disc roughly every 30 million years.
And here’s where things get interesting.
This dense region of the galaxy contains enormous clouds of dust, gas, and potentially, dark matter.
Some researchers have long suspected that as we pass through, gravitational disturbances shake loose comets from the distant Oort Cloud, sending them hurtling toward Earth.
If even one of these rogue space rocks collides with our planet, it could trigger a global catastrophe—just like the one that ended the dinosaurs.
But Rampino takes this theory one step further.
A New Mechanism for Extinction
What if dark matter isn’t just knocking comets into Earth’s path—but also causing devastation from within?
Rampino’s theory suggests that as Earth plows through the dense galactic plane, dark matter particles could be captured by Earth’s gravity.
Once trapped, these particles might sink toward Earth’s core, accumulating over millions of years.
Unlike ordinary matter, dark matter doesn’t interact with light, making it invisible and difficult to detect.
But in theory, if enough dark matter builds up inside Earth’s core, it could collide with itself, annihilating particles and generating enormous amounts of heat.
This could explain some of Earth’s most violent geological events, including:
- Massive volcanic eruptions (like the ones in Siberia and India that contributed to past extinctions).
- Supercontinent breakups that drastically alter the climate.
- Shifts in Earth’s magnetic field, disrupting ecosystems.
In short, dark matter could be acting like a silent, cosmic fuse, setting the stage for Earth-shattering disasters every time our Solar System drifts through the Milky Way’s most dangerous regions.
Can Dark Matter Really Trigger Volcanic Eruptions?
At first glance, the idea that dark matter could cause volcanic eruptions might sound extreme. But let’s break it down.
Rampino’s argument hinges on a crucial heat transfer process.
If dark matter accumulates in Earth’s core and interacts weakly but consistently, it could increase core temperatures by hundreds of degrees Celsius.
This extra heat would then rise through the mantle, creating buoyant plumes of molten rock. Over millions of years, these plumes could:
- Fuel supervolcanic eruptions—like the ones that created the Deccan Traps in India, which spewed lava for thousands of years around the time the dinosaurs went extinct.
- Split continents apart—causing drastic climate shifts.
- Alter ocean circulation and atmosphere composition, triggering ice ages or extreme warming events.
It’s an idea that challenges conventional thinking.
Most geologists believe volcanic activity is purely driven by Earth’s internal processes—radioactive decay and leftover heat from planetary formation.
But if dark matter plays a role, it means that some of Earth’s biggest geological changes are tied to cosmic events, not just internal ones.
If True, This Changes Everything
Rampino’s theory raises staggering questions.
If dark matter has influenced Earth’s history, could it also be responsible for mass extinctions on other planets?
Consider this:
- If our Solar System’s movement through the galaxy is linked to extinction cycles, other planetary systems moving through similar dark matter-rich regions might experience similar upheavals.
- If dark matter heats planetary cores, it could affect habitability in ways we never imagined—even altering conditions on exoplanets where we search for life.
It also forces us to reconsider the future.
If this pattern holds, and we’re in another cycle of passing through the galactic plane, could we be due for another extinction event?
Testing the Dark Matter Extinction Hypothesis
As thrilling as Rampino’s theory is, it’s still unproven.
Right now, dark matter remains one of the biggest mysteries in physics.
Scientists know it exists because of its gravitational effects on galaxies, but no one has directly detected a dark matter particle.
However, researchers are now exploring ways to test this hypothesis:
- Deep-Earth Heat Anomalies – If dark matter is heating Earth’s core, geologists could look for unexpected heat signatures deep within the planet.
- Volcanic Activity Patterns – If Earth’s worst eruptions correlate with galactic cycles, that would be a major clue.
- Dark Matter Detection Experiments – Scientists at labs like CERN and underground detectors worldwide are searching for signs of dark matter interactions.
Final Thoughts: The Cosmic Connection to Life and Death
If Rampino is right, then Earth’s history—and perhaps the fate of all life—is shaped by forces far beyond our planet.
Mass extinctions wouldn’t just be random disasters; they’d be the direct result of our Solar System’s path through the galaxy, triggered by something we still barely understand.
And that raises an even bigger question:
If dark matter has already shaped the past five mass extinctions, is it only a matter of time before it does so again?
