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Feral reptiles might have continued to dominate among wildlife if the influence of the celestial event were not so great
A massive asteroid hit the planet 66 million years ago – wiping out the dinosaurs and many other species in the fifth mass extinction on Earth
A new study found that dinosaurs could have « thrived » on Earth for many more years had it not been for the huge asteroid that struck and wiped out the planet.
Research by the University of Bath and the Museum of Natural History claims to shed new light on the extinction of the feral reptiles that have fascinated humans for hundreds of years.
Previous studies indicated that dinosaur numbers were already in sharp decline about 66 million years ago when the asteroid collided, ending any chances of their recovery..
But researchers now say that dinosaurs might have continued to dominate the planet for a longer period if the extraordinary celestial event had not occurred..
The team of scientists collected a collection of different dinosaur family trees and used statistical modeling to assess whether the main dinosaur populations were still able to produce new species at this age..
They concluded that they are, and that the dinosaur would have remained « the dominant group of land animals on the planet » and « prosperous » if the asteroid impact were not so devastating.
“Previous studies by others used different methods of inferring that dinosaurs were going to die anyway, because they were in decline at the end of the Cretaceous period,” said Joe Bunsoor, first author of the study at the University..
However, if the dataset is expanded to include more modern dinosaur family trees and a larger set of dinosaur species, the results contradict previous findings, he adds..
The research says it is difficult to assess dinosaur diversity because of gaps in the fossil record.
In the study, the researchers used statistical methods to overcome sample biases by examining the rates of evolution between families of dinosaurs, rather than counting the number of species that belonged to this family..
“The main point of our research paper is that it is not as simple as looking at some trees and making a decision. Bonsur said large, unavoidable biases in the fossil record and lack of data can often show a decline in species, but that this might not be a reflection of reality at the time.. .
Earlier, research conducted by University College London also suggested that such a major extinction of the species might only be the result of the impact of a massive asteroid collision with Earth, after analyzing the various extinction scenarios.
Scientists believe that the huge asteroid that struck the planet 66 million years ago may have caused a series of earthquakes, giant tidal waves and volcanic explosions that eventually led to the extinction of dinosaurs and many other species, in what is now known as the Fifth Mass Extinction of Earth.
A massive asteroid hit the planet 66 million years ago – wiping out the dinosaurs and many other species in the fifth mass extinction on Earth
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The study shows
dinosaur, asteroid, research, hadrosauridae
World News – GB – The dinosaurs were not in decline at the moment the asteroid collided and wiped out.
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Ref: https://www.independent.co.uk