A new study has revealed the shocking details behind the dinosaur’s extinction, and it’s not pointing to an asteroid.
The reason behind the extinction of dinosaurs has always been blamed on a large number small planet strike about 66 million years ago. But is it the whole truth? This latest study published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) contradicts the long-believed asteroid theory! It shows that dinosaurs were on their way out even before the fateful event of an asteroid collision. In fact, the asteroid collision merely hastened the process that already happened. Evidence? Fossil egg from China shows that dinosaur numbers and diversity have declined.
According to the old theory behind the dinosaur extinction, all non-avian dinosaurs were killed by the explosion itself or by acid rain and darkness, which lasted for decades. The massive asteroid strike released the energy equivalent of 10 billion atomic bombs. Disappearance of non-avian dinosaurs The earth gave space for the emergence of mammals as the dominant group of animals on The earththe report suggestions. However, debate continues, whether the biodiversity of non-avian dinosaurs declined prior to the late Cretaceous mass extinction remains controversial.
Dinosaur Egg Fossil tells a story
The researchers collected more than 1,000 dinosaur eggshell samples from a 150-meter-thick, fossil-rich continuous stratigraphic sequence in the Shanyang Basin, central China, which is one of the most dinosaur-rich regions from China. Late Cretaceous. The researchers analyzed more than 5,500 rock samples using computer modeling to determine their exact dates.
The study revealed a decline in dinosaur diversity in the region, and about 1000 dinosaur egg fossils came from three main species – Macroolithus yaotunensis, Elongatolithus elongatus and Stromatoolithus pinglingensis. The fossils also show that long-necked, large-bodied dinosaurs also lived there during the same period between 66.4 and 68.2 million years ago.
Therefore, the low number of dinosaur species over the past few million years is attributed to global climate fluctuations and large volcanic eruptions. The study said: “Castic events of the Late Cretaceous, such as the Deccan Trap and the massive impact, may have impacted an already vulnerable ecosystem and led to species extinctions,” the study said. non-avian dinosaurs”.
