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Not Nature,
but an Asteroid that Defeated
the Dinosaurs
Pulakranjan Chakraborty West Medinipur, West Bengal.
INDIA
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Not nature, nor a shortage of food, prehistoric dinosaurs were defeated by an asteroid. About 65 million years ago, dinosaurs were abundant in number. Had a massive asteroid not struck the Earth, their extinction could not have happened so rapidly.
This information provided by scientists may reshape the history of dinosaur extinction. A team of scientists led by Professor Andrew Flyn of New Mexico State University was studying ancient rocks, and in their research paper they have presented striking findings about the cause of dinosaur extinction. They claim that in the final phase of the Cretaceous period, the extinction of dinosaurs was not inevitable. It was the asteroid catastrophe that wiped dinosaurs off the Earth. There was no shortage of food, and nature was on their side. Although there may have been internal struggles, they were not victims of any external attack, until then. A sudden impact from a gigantic asteroid devastated the Earth. That impact wiped out three-quarters of the planet’s plants and animals. In that catastrophic event, the gigantic dinosaurs disappeared from the face of the Earth. Some birds survived, and many of them still carry the legacy of those prehistoric dinosaurs. Many had believed that dinosaurs were gradually heading toward extinction due to their own characteristics. They were unable to adapt to their changing environment. Their excessive aggressiveness was also thought to be a cause of their downfall. They even engaged in internal conflicts, which pushed them further toward extinction, with the asteroid impact merely sealing their fate. However, this long-held idea about dinosaurs is now being challenged. According to Professor Flyn, their research shows that, at least in North America, dinosaurs were not on the path to extinction. They were thriving there and even increasing in number. Professor Flyn and his fellow researchers were working to determine the precise age of a particular type of rock in New Mexico. They used two methods. First, they determined the maximum age of the rock by analyzing the ratio of two argon isotopes found in crystals within it. Second, they analyzed the alignment of magnetic particles in the rock to determine the direction of the Earth’s magnetic field at the time of its formation. Through these methods, scientists found that the rock had formed about 300,000 years before the mass extinction of dinosaurs. These rocks were the Naashoibito Formation, a special type of sedimentary rock formed close to the time of dinosaur extinction. The youngest known dinosaur fossil was found in this very formation in New Mexico. Their research has changed long-standing ideas about dinosaurs. Professor Flyn stated that dinosaurs in the southern part of North America at that time were quite diverse. There were no dinosaurs in North America that appeared to be close to extinction. Professor Steve Brusatte of the University of Edinburgh noted that there are several differences between dinosaurs of North and South America. However, until the asteroid catastrophe, these dinosaurs were not facing any specific crisis. The only likely cause of their extinction may have been this asteroid impact.
This new research has sparked fresh interest among scientists regarding dinosaur extinction. The rocks found in New Mexico provide evidence that dinosaurs were still roaming the Earth as recently as 300,000 years before their extinction. However, scientists believe that further research is still needed on this subject. |
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