Why Did the Dinosaurs Become Extinct?
The article is written by Thomas Sumner and addresses the cause of dinosaurs’ extinction. One of the famous theories discussed in the article is about the impact on an asteroid that crashed on the surface of the Earth. The author, however, suspects that other factors, apart from the asteroid, might have led to the extinction of the dinosaurs. Before the fall of the asteroid, the animals already faced adverse changes in their ecosystems. Therefore, the eruption impacts have brought about the emergence of many theories on what killed dinosaurs.
The article has addressed many theories in the public domain to explain the extinction of dinosaurs. The major concepts discussed in the article refers back to the worldwide volcanic event. The author acknowledges that dinosaurs lived over 66 million years ago. The population of the dinosaurs then were in millions until they faced a natural calamity, which led to their extinction. This extinction of dinosaurs is blamed on the catastrophic die-out on debris’s impact after the eruption (Thomas 3). The author says that the volcano’s effects must have been 10 billion times the impact of a nuclear bomb. The evidence of the theory is the presence of iridium, which found in asteroids.
Thomas addresses that after the impact of the asteroid, an inescapable night followed. It is estimated that the night lasted for a period of a few months to some years. The atmosphere was filled with soot and dust that blocked the sunlight from reaching the planet. The Earth experienced high temperatures for about two years, with no light reaching the Earth’s surface. Such conditions on Earth were unfavorable for survival of both animals and plants, which explains why the dinosaurs species went into extinction (Thomas 2).
The article also believes that the dinosaurs must have been buried alive by the sediments of iridium and glass debris. The emerging evidence from scientists shows samples of their remains buried deep on the Earth’s surface. This proves that the dinosaurs lived until the tsunami struck, and it was at that time that everything that existed started to get extinct (Thomas 2). It is also possible that some dinosaurs died before the asteroid fall, as some evidence proving the occurrence of other eruptions. Such eruptions made survival on the Earth hard as it caused significant disruptions of the food web. Also, the evolutions affected the pH of the water too acidic, which is unfavorable for supporting life.
Also, the report has provided sufficient explanations and criticism of the theories discussed. The criticism in the article brings an essential dimension that puts quality checks on the conclusions made. However, researchers have a concession that the extinction of the animals is attributed to the change in the ecosystem in the major catastrophic events in the world. The findings of the studies have integrated several ideas that show a close correlation in the existing ecosystems and its biodiversity compared to that which existed before the explosions.
This article has a critical section that evaluates the validity of the theories discussed, offering an exciting touch to the report. This section helps in challenging the work of scientists, which is useful when analyzing data in decision making. According to Thomas, few people agree with the impact of eruptions and the unfortunate extinction of dinosaurs. Many feel that the support physics provides on the volcano’s effect is vague and hence disputes it as guesswork. I think the article is very informative on why dinosaurs became extinct.
Work Cited
Sumner, Thomas. “What Killed The Dinosaurs? | Science News For Students”. Science News For Students, 2017, https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/dinosaurs-extinction-asteroid-eruptions-doom.