End of Neanderthals linked to flip of Earth's magnetic poles, study suggests

Event 42,000 years ago combined with fall in solar activity potentially cataclysmic, researchers say

The flipping of the Earth's magnetic poles together with a drop in solar activity 42,000 years ago could have generated an apocalyptic environment that may have played a role in a major events ranging from the extinction of megafauna to the end of the Neanderthals, researchers say.

The Earth's magnetic field acts as a protective shield against damaging cosmic radiation, but when the poles switch, as has occurred many times in the past, the protective shield weakens dramatically and leaves the planet exposed to high energy particles.