Heard of a Quark-Nova?

Ten times more powerful than supernovae, gamma ray burst are puzzling phenomena of the universe. Now a group of University of Calgary scientists have formulated a theory that could explain it. Some neutron stars could in fact be 'quark stars'. "Our calculations … suggest that the core of highly magnetized heavy neutron stars can turn into quark matter within a few hours following their birth," they say in a news release. This could emit the intense energy observed as gamma ray bursts. Read more in Spaceflight Now