In August and September 2025, two PLOS ONE papers argued for a Younger Dryas cosmic impact: James Kennett's study of shocked quartz from Blackwater Draw, Murray Springs and Arlington Canyon on Santa Rosa Island, and Andrew Moore's analysis of four Baffin Bay marine-sediment cores. PLOS ONE retracted both papers in February 2026. The notices cited incorrect references, inappropriate radiocarbon calibration for high-latitude samples, and the misidentification of marine foraminifera as cosmic-impact indicators. The Kennett paper also omitted available radiocarbon samples and included dates extending centuries before and after the proposed Younger Dryas onset. The retractions underline the importance of peer review and replication in distinguishing extraterrestrial signals from terrestrial and biological processes.
PLOS ONE retracts 2025 papers on shocked quartz and Baffin Bay sediments
Key facts
- James P. Kennett's paper was published in August 2025; Andrew Moore's was published in September 2025.
- Kennett examined shocked quartz from Blackwater Draw, New Mexico; Murray Springs, Arizona; and Arlington Canyon on Santa Rosa Island, California.
- Moore examined four marine-sediment cores from Baffin Bay at water depths of approximately 500–2,400 m.
- PLOS ONE retracted both papers in February 2026.
- The notices cited incorrect references and inappropriate radiocarbon calibration for the high-latitude Baffin Bay samples.
- Material presented as cosmic-impact evidence was identified as marine foraminifera, not extraterrestrial material.
- The Kennett paper omitted available radiocarbon samples and included dates extending centuries before and after the proposed Younger Dryas onset.
Sources
Retraction: Shocked quartz at the Younger Dryas onset (12.8 ka ...journals.plos.org
The PLOS One Editors (2026) Retraction: Shocked quartz at the Younger Dryas onset (12.8 ka) supports cosmic airbursts/impacts contributing ...
Retraction: A 12,800-year-old layer with cometary dust ...journals.plos.org
Retraction: A 12,800-year-old layer with cometary dust, microspherules, and platinum anomaly recorded in multiple cores from Baffin Bay. The ...
Download Citation - PLOS Onejournals.plos.org
Download Citation. Article Source: RETRACTED: Shocked quartz at the Younger Dryas onset (12.8 ka) supports cosmic airbursts/impacts contributing to North ...
A 12800-year-old layer with cometary dust, microspherules, and ...journals.plos.org
This article has been retracted. View retraction. Abstract. The Younger Dryas Impact Hypothesis (YDIH) posits that ~12,800 years ago Earth encountered the ...
Controversial comet theory struck by two new retractionsretractionwatch.com
The group's two new papers focus on different aspects of the Younger Dryas Impact Hypothesis, which posits that a “disentangling comet” broke up ...
Shocked quartz at the Younger Dryas onset (12.8 ka) supports ...journals.plos.org
by JP Kennett · 2025 · Cited by 4 — Shocked quartz at the Younger Dryas onset (12.8 ka) supports cosmic airbursts/impacts … collapse of the Clovis technocomplex James P. Kennett, ...
James P. Kennett – NASnasonline.org
As a marine geologist and paleoceanographer I have aimed my research at unraveling the evolution of the global environment and biota during the Cenozoic Era ...
Exploding comet may have wiped out mammoths and other ...discoverwildlife.com
The shocked quartz grains examined by this study show variations in shock patterns, something Kennett explains is expected of airburst-style ...
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