Paleontologist and evolutionary biologist Stephen Brussatte at the University of Edinburgh calls it nearly impossible to determine the season in which the meteorite hit. Still, he thinks the evidence provided by During and her colleagues is strong. That’s why he thinks they’re right.
The pieces of molten rock could only get into the gills of fish if they were still alive when the asteroid hit, Brussatte says. Therefore, according to him, it is certain that it happened right after the impact of the meteorite. He calls it a chilling and eerie thought.
hell on earth
The fact that the study also looked at the annual growth phase the animals were in when disaster struck, makes the results of the study even more credible, he says. This species of fish has a growth spurt every year in the spring, which had just started when the animals died, analysis of the bones shows.
“The promise of spring turned into hell on earth. The dinosaurs, and so many other plant and animal species, disappeared in a short time,” says Brussatte.
Due to the impact of the meteorite, the temperature rose everywhere on Earth:
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