Asteroid that eradicated dinosaurs not a one-off, say scientists
GuardianOCT 2024
This discovery is a game-changer for understanding Earth's history. Multiple giant asteroid impacts around the same time could have had a cumulative effect on the planet's climate and ecosystems, potentially explaining the severity of the mass extinction event. The detailed imaging of the Nadir crater provides valuable insights into impact processes and their consequences.
While significant, the Nadir crater pales in comparison to the Chicxulub impact. Its effects were likely localized and may not have contributed significantly to global climate change or mass extinction. When discussing the end-Cretaceous extinction, the focus should remain on the larger, more catastrophic Chicxulub event.
While scientists appear to have finally found the cause of the dinosaur's abrupt extinction, the species was likely on its way out — albeit at a slower rate — without the help of a celestial attack. At the time, the Earth was cooling, thus turning widespread tropical climates into less vegetative climates. Like most species throughout Earth's history, dinosaurs likely lost their food source.
There's a 2% chance that before 2025, an asteroid or comet estimated to be at least 50 meters in diameter will be detected to be due to collide with Earth before 2100, according to the Metaculus prediction community.