Most carbon spherules once attributed to a cosmic impact closely resemble tightly packed balls of fungus found in modern soils exposed to low-to-moderate heat during wildfires.
Notes on verification
Well-supported by Scott et al. (2010) peer-reviewed study and corroborated by subsequent independent reviews (Pinter et al. 2011, 2023 Earth-Science Reviews), but the underlying Younger Dryas Impact Hypothesis remains actively contested by other researchers (Kennett, Israde-Alcántara), so this is one side of an ongoing scientific debate rather than settled consensus. [tier=gold indep_score=0.983 clusters=3 claim_tier=notable]
Sources
- Fungi, Feces Show Comet Didn't Kill Ice Age Mammals? (seed:history_and_archaeology)
- https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1029/2010GL043345 (corroboration)
- https://cosmictusk.com/wp-content/uploads/The-Younger-Dryas-impact-hypothesis-A-requiem.pdf (corroboration)
- https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0012825223001915 (corroboration)