... A new scenario for the birth of type Ia supernovae . The parents of type Ia could be a binary star made up of a white dwarf and an M dwarf. ... One is called a т??single-degenerate model,т?? in which a binary star is made up of a degenerate, or dead star, called a white dwarf paired with a less evolved star. ... The second reason the M dwarf is likely the white dwarfт??s co-parent in producing type Ia supernovae is that M dwarfs are magnetic. т??They flare, they do all sorts of crazy things,т?? ...