> All it takes is for a Magnetar to have a hiccup and it could sterilize an entire galaxy. There are tens of millions of magnetars in the milky way and we can

> All it takes is for a Magnetar to have a hiccup and it could sterilize an entire galaxy. There are tens of millions of magnetars in the milky way and we can and do observe their "hiccups" - we've traded a multitude of GRBs back to stars we believe to be magnetars. They do not have anywhere near enough energy to sterilize an entire galaxy.