New Study Sheds Light On How Dust Drove Dinosaurs' Extinction

Scientists have long understood that a massive asteroid struck the Yucatan Peninsula some 66 million years ago, triggering a mass extinction that killed numerous species, including most dinosaurs. However, the precise reason behind this tragedy has remained a subject of debate, however, a recent study proposes that the dust cloud created by the Chicxulub asteroid impact, might have played a more significant role than previously believed in the dinosaur extinction. Previous research has indicated that alongside asteroid impacts, volcanic eruptions may also be the reason for the mass extinction event and slow long-term climate change which went for over millions of years. As per The Guardian, lead study author and planetary scientist Cem Berk Senel, a postdoctoral researcher at the Royal Observatory of Belgium said, “Photosynthesis shutting down for almost two years after impact caused severe challenges. It collapsed the food web, creating a chain reaction of extinctions.” While, Philippe Claeys, a geologist and planetary scientist at the Free University of Brussels and co-author of the study added that the silicate dust, as revealed by the simulations, emerged as the “most efficient blocker of photosynthesis.” This dust made the atmosphere waterproof, disrupting the crucial process of photosynthesis in plants and causing harm to the ecosystem.