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The Guardian - UK
The Guardian - UK
Science
Nicola Davis Science correspondent

Dinosaurs were thriving until asteroid struck, research suggests

Illustration of dinosaurs near a comet plunging through Earth's atmosphere.
Scientists estimate that an asteroid struck Earth about 66m years ago, triggering a mass extinction of all dinosaurs except birds. Photograph: Gerd Altmann/Pixabay/PA

Dinosaurs would not have become extinct had it not been for a catastrophic asteroid strike, researchers have said, challenging the idea the animals were already in decline.

About 66m years ago, during the late Cretaceous period, a huge space rock crashed into Earth, triggering a mass extinction that wiped out all dinosaurs except birds. However, some experts have argued the dinosaurs were already in decline.

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