asteroid dinosaur extinction

Asteroid dust caused 15-year winter that killed dinosaurs: study

31Oct

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Asteroid dust caused 15-year winter that killed dinosaurs: study

[ad_1] Around 66 million years ago, an asteroid bigger than Mount Everest smashed into Earth, killing off three quarters of all life on the planet -- including the dinosaurs.This much we know. But exactly how the impact of the asteroid Chicxulub caused all those animals to go extinct has remained a matter of debate. The leading theory recently has been that sulphur from the asteroid's impact -- or soot from global wildfires it sparked -- blocked out the sky and plunged the world into a long, dark winter, killing all but the lucky few.However research published Monday based on particles found at a key fossil site reasserted an earlier hypothesis: that the impact winter was caused by dust kicked up by the asteroid.Fine silicate dust from pulverised rock would have stayed in the atmosphere...

Killer Asteroid strike: Miraculously, these ‘dinosaurs’ escaped mass extinction

[ad_1] Birds are the only dinosaur group that survived the terrible asteroid strike that caused the mass extinction of dinosaurs some 66 million years ago. Scientists have been puzzled for years about why birds, descendants of dinosaurs, survived while most others did not, including the fearsome giants that we know all about, Interesting Engineering reports. Now, two new studies have focused on one possible answer: molting.The importance of molting as survival mechanism after asteroid strikeMolting is when birds shed old feathers and grow new ones. Feathers are made of a protein called keratin, which is the same stuff that makes up human hair and nails. Feathers are important for birds because they help them fly, swim, attract mates, stay warm, and protect their skin from the sun. Feath...

Dinosaurs were in the prime when the asteroid struck, study reveals

[ad_1] A new study has shed light into the living conditions of dinosaurs during the time they went extinct. Here's how they fared. Dinosaurs dominated the Earth millions of years ago during the Mesozoic Era. This included three consecutive geological periods - Triassic, Jurassic, and Cretaceous Periods, during which different species of these creatures inhabited the Earth. But how did these predatory creatures go extinct? Well, Paleontologists believe their extinction process started when an asteroid struck the Earth nearly 65 million years ago. Now, a new study has revealed that dinosaurs were in their prime when the fateful asteroid struck, sending them into extinction.The study revealed that dinosaurs were in the prime of their lives during the late Cretaceous period when the aste...