Cause of dinosaur extinction 'confirmed'

i copied this from yahoo

A massive asteroid was to blame for the demise of the dinosaur, and not a volcanic eruption, scientists have said. The team of 41 international scientists have come to their conclusion after analysing the past 20 years of research.

The mass extinction wiped out more than half of all species on the planet, including the dinosaurs and some large marine reptiles, the scientists decided.

They concluded the impact, that happened around 65 million years ago, cleared the way for mammals to become Earth's dominant species.

The 15-kilometre wide asteroid is believed to have hit the planet with a force one billion times more powerful than the atomic bomb at Hiroshima.

It resulted in the crater known as the Chicxulub crater buried underneath the Yucatan Peninsula.

The asteroid - about the size of the Isle of Wight - would have blasted material at high speed into the atmosphere.

That set off a chain of events that caused a global winter, wiping out much of life on Earth in a matter of days, the review says.

Scientists had previously argued about whether the so-called Cretaceous-Tertiary (KT)extinction was caused by the asteroid or by volcanic activity in India over 1.5 million years.

For the new study, scientists analysed 20 years of work by palaeontologists, geochemists, climate modellers, geophysicists and sedimentologists.

They concluded that geological records show the event that triggered the extinction destroyed marine and land ecosystems rapidly, meaning an asteroid impact was the only plausible explanation.

Dr Joanna Morgan, co-author of the review from Imperial College London, said: "We now have great confidence that an asteroid was the cause of the KT extinction.

"This shrouded the planet in darkness and caused a global winter, killing off many species that couldn't adapt to this hellish environment."

Co-author Dr Gareth Collins, also from Imperial College, added: "The explosion of hot rock and gas would have looked like a huge ball of fire on the horizon, grilling any living creature in the immediate vicinity that couldn't find shelter.

"Ironically, while this hellish day signalled the end of the 160-million-year reign of the dinosaurs, it turned out to be a great day for mammals, who had lived in the shadow of the dinosaurs prior to this event.

"The KT extinction was a pivotal moment in Earth's history, which ultimately paved the way for humans to become the dominant species on Earth."

 

You should include the news story link when possible.

This doesn't seem very "news" worthy. It's been the going theory for quite a few years now. I wonder why it made the news (which is also why I'd like to see the article link).

 

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100304/sc_nm/us_dinosaurs_asteroid

I think it's this one.

* I really don't have any say in this one, just posted the link.

 

Yahoo is notorious for putting junk news on their site for attention.

Like this I assume.

But this theory has been around for ages just like stated above.

 

well if you dont trust yahoo news, perhaps you can trust this site -> Dinosaur extinction link to crater confirmed

even though the theory have been around for a while, its good that now its confirmed....

but the question now, will the same thing happen again in the future?

 

Yes. It's not a question of "If", it's a question of "When".

 

i think a percentage would survive and rebuild, we have too much technology now to be wiped out completely. some clever person will always come up with a way. its not like the dinosaurs could run a generator for some warmth etc
as long as the asteroid isnt any bigger than the last one anyway

 

If humans even exist by the time it happens.

 

very strange to think this might happen again...
well, off to write a song about it
*runs in room and gets note book*
i think ill call it death of the mastadon
or hell fury from the skies
or my favorite
the aliens dont like us lol
i miss the dinosaurs why would a meteor do such a thing?!
the dinosaurs did nothing to the meteor!
the meteor's a meanie...im glad he is dead DX lmao

 

Take it from me. The raptors adapted, survived and prospered.

I know this because I am a velociraptor.

 

wow bird also surf the net like human XD