Further proof that the universe is out to get us.

The weather is trying harder than ever to kill us, our heros immolate themselves on the altar of pseudo-democracy, and now it appears that the universe itself wants us dead.

A huge explosion halfway across the galaxy packed so much power it briefly altered Earth's upper atmosphere in December, astronomers said Friday.....

...The commotion was caused by a special variety of neutron star known as a magnetar....

..."Had this happened within 10 light-years of us, it would have severely damaged our atmosphere and possibly have triggered a mass extinction," said Bryan Gaensler of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CfA)...

[ read the full article at space.com ]

Like anyone would even notice another mass extinction these days. Pfffff.