Younger Dryas Impact Theory 101

Did you know Earth might’ve been hit by a cosmic murder mystery 12,900 years ago?
It’s called the Younger Dryas Impact Theory—and it’s wild. Scientists think a giant comet fragment may have slammed into Earth, kicking up enough debris to trigger a mini Ice Age, on top of the already Ice Age, almost overnight. That’s around the same time mammoths, saber-tooths, and maybe even early human civilizations disappeared. Coincidence?
Here’s where it gets freakier: we pass through the Taurid meteor stream twice every year. Every. Single. Year. It’s mostly harmless—except for that one time in 1908, when a space rock exploded over Siberia and flattened 800 square miles of forest. Imagine if that hit a city. New York City would be gone in a second, and people would be paying more attention.
Now, rewind to 42,000 years ago—the Earth's magnetic field just... flipped. It’s called the Laschamps Event, and during it, Earth’s protective shield got way weaker. More cosmic radiation, more chaos, maybe even more extinctions.
Meanwhile, Neanderthals vanished—even though they interbred with us. And over in Indonesia, there were tiny humans—Homo floresiensis, real-life "hobbits" just three feet tall.
And let’s not forget: during the Ice Age, sea levels were 400 feet lower. So when the ice melted fast, entire coastlines—and possibly ancient cities—were swallowed by the ocean.
But here’s the kicker: why were so many ancient people already living underground? The Hopi talk about the "Ant People" who saved them from disasters. The Cherokee speak of the "Moon-Eyed People." In Turkey, there’s an entire underground metropolis—Derinkuyu—big enough for 20,000 people, livestock, and schools.
So... what were they hiding from?
Maybe the sky really was falling.