Final answer:
The Ordovician-Silurian Extinction is hypothesized to have involved a supernova, as researchers suggest a gamma-ray burst could have been a potential cause of this mass extinction event.
Step-by-step explanation:
The mass extinction event that is hypothesized to have involved a supernova is the Ordovician-Silurian Extinction. Some researchers have suggested that a gamma-ray burst, likely from a supernova, could have been a possible cause of this extinction event. The gamma-ray burst would have been powerful enough to strip away the Earth's ozone layer, leading to increased radiation on the planet's surface and contributing to the mass extinction of marine life. The Ordovician-Silurian extinction is noted as the first recorded mass extinction and second largest, with an estimated 85 percent of marine species becoming extinct during this time period.
Other major mass extinctions, including the Permian-Triassic Extinction and the Cretaceous-Paleogene Extinction, were likely caused by different catastrophic events, such as volcanic activity and meteorite impacts, which led to rapid changes in the environment and were detrimental to life on Earth.