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September 09, 2007
CSI has Nothing on Space Scientists. They Found the Dinosaur Killer
This information revealed at the best time ever.
The extinction of the dinosaurs 65 million years ago can be traced to a collision between two monster rocks in the asteroid belt nearly 100 million years earlier, scientists report on Wednesday.The smash drove a giant sliver of rock into Earth's path, eventually causing the climate-changing impact that ended the reign of the dinosaurs and enabled the rise of mammals — including, eventually, us.
Other asteroid fragments smashed into the Moon, Venus and Mars, pocking their faces with mighty craters, the researchers believe.
[...]
The sleuths were guided by an intriguing clue — a large asteroid called Baptistina, which shares the same orbital track as a group of smaller rocks.
Turning the clock back, the simulation found that the Baptistina bits not only fit together, they were also remnants of a giant parent asteroid, around 105 miles across, that once cruised the innermost region of the asteroid belt.
Around 160 million years ago — the best bet in a range of 140-190 million years — this behemoth was whacked by another giant some 37 miles across.
(via discovery)
Posted by Groonk at September 9, 2007 07:32 PM | Ministry of Dinosaurs, Research
