Researchers believe they have closed the case of what killed the dinosaurs, definitively linking their extinction with an asteroid that slammed into Earth 66 million years ago by finding a key piece of evidence: asteroid dust inside the impact crater. Death by asteroid rather than by a series of volcanic eruptions or some other global… Continue Reading Asteroid Dust Found in Crater Closes Case of Dinosaur Extinction
Rocks at Asteroid Impact Site Record First Day of Dinosaur Extinction
When the asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs slammed into the planet, the impact set wildfires, triggered tsunamis and blasted so much sulfur into the atmosphere that it blocked the sun, which caused the global cooling that ultimately doomed the dinos. That’s the scenario scientists have hypothesized. Now, a new study led by The University… Continue Reading Rocks at Asteroid Impact Site Record First Day of Dinosaur Extinction
Evolution Imposes “Speed Limit” on Recovery after Mass Extinctions
It takes at least 10 million years for life to fully recover after a mass extinction, a speed limit for the recovery of species diversity that is well known among scientists. Explanations for this apparent rule have usually invoked environmental factors, but research led by The University of Texas at Austin links the lag to… Continue Reading Evolution Imposes “Speed Limit” on Recovery after Mass Extinctions
Life Recovered Rapidly at Impact Site of Dino-Killing Asteroid
About 66 million years ago, an asteroid smashed into Earth, triggering a mass extinction that ended the reign of the dinosaurs and snuffed out 75 percent of life. Although the asteroid killed off species, new research led by The University of Texas at Austin has found that the crater it left behind was home to… Continue Reading Life Recovered Rapidly at Impact Site of Dino-Killing Asteroid
Co-Chief Scientist Sean Gulick Arrives at Chicxulub Impact Crater
University of Texas Institute for Geophysics Research Professor Sean P.S. Gulick arrived at the Chicxulub impact crater this week, and on Tuesday he offered his initial reactions to boarding the L/B Myrtle Continue Reading Co-Chief Scientist Sean Gulick Arrives at Chicxulub Impact Crater