Ever since paleontologist have found dinosaurs there has been a debate on how these incredible creatures died. This big debate is between the scientific theory and the religious theory of how the dinosaurs had died off. The science side of the debate think it was a comet or asteroid crashed into earth killing them off, just like we are told in school growing up. Then of course you have the religious side of the debate, which we are not taught about in school, and they think that the dinosaurs were killed off by the great flood in the Bible when Noah made the Ark. Of course neither side is for sure correct but, both sides do both make very good points that should be considered.
We are taught in school about how the dinosaurs died by an asteroid or comet hitting the earth but they really don’t go into depth about how it killed them all over the world. The full theory is that an asteroid or comet had hit the earth and had caused a chain of major catastrophes including a nuclear winter, ash and dust blocking out the sun, plants died off, temperature drop, forest fires, and tsunamis. Scientists also think that it could have been earthquakes made volcanoes erupt releasing a toxic gas that settled and was breathed in by the dinosaurs. But, it is more likely the comet or asteroid impact had happened because there has been metals, that were rare to Earth, found in the same layer as the dinosaur fossils but, the metal can be found in space from comets and asteroids. And then of course the asteroid or comet impact is really the only thing, out of all the other science theories, that mammals could have survived because “Mammals are able to maintain their body temperature. They are less dependent on environmental temperatures, unlike ‘...
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...tled to their own opinion even if others do not agree with that opinion. We understand that some people think dinosaurs died because of a cataclysmic chain reaction after an asteroid or comet impact on Earth. We also see that some people believe dinosaurs died due to a climate change after a great flood. So I have one question to ask, what do you think really happened to the dinosaurs?
Works Cited
Dinosaurs. Retrieved from http://www.6000years.org/frame.php?page=dinosaurs
Hutchison, R. , What About Dinosaurs? Retrieved from http://biblestudyweb.org/dinosaurs.html
(2001). What Killed The Dinosaurs? Retrieved from http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/evolution/extinction/dinosaurs/asteroid.html
The State of Queensland. (2010). Why Did The Dinosaurs Die Out? Retrieved from http://www.qm.qld.gov.au/microsites/dino/02-dinosaur-extinction-theories/dinosaur-extinction-theories.html
The possibility if a meteor strike as the cause of extinctions is discarded, something that most specialists agree on. There is no evidence of any meteor crater big enough or recent enough to be accountable for it; there are no “elements that are common extraterrestrially but less so on Earth, such as iridium, and no sign of a tsunami or other phenomena following the impact.” The extinctions where also very selective and occurred over a very long period of time. If a “one shot” catastrophe had been the cause it would have affected all species at the same time and in similar
“we thought we had them under control, but we were wrong, and now they want revenge”. The greed of the scientists was too high that it blinded them and didn’t let them see what could result from such an experience. The Scientists wanted to bring back what god got rid of million years ago, and they wanted to beat god’s powers with their technology. They were successful at first which increased their ago, but then when the dinosaurs got out of control, the scientists realized that they had messed up trying to beat god. This reflects and supports the theme of the movie which is, the hubris of men using technology to try to play god will lead to their downfall, and indeed it did as we saw with the
The chapter of life which saw the rise of the dinosaurs is one of the most fascinating periods in our earth’s history. It is often the subject which brings about young children’s first exposure to science. When these children learn about these intriguing prehistoric beasts, one of their primary inquiries concerns the cause of their annihilation. What could have led to the demise of all those creatures, who lived very successfully for millions of years? This question has plagued experts and curious children alike for decades. In the early 1990s, a “smoking gun” was discovered – purported to solve the mystery of how the dinosaurs met their fate. This discovery was the Chicxulub crater in Yucatan, Mexico. The claim was that this 180 kilometer crater was the impact scar left by an asteroid that collided with the earth. The asteroid was so large and landed with such force that it effectively ended the dinosaurs reign over the earth. However, recent evidence and research reported in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences suggests that this could not have been the case, because the Chicxulab crater predates the mass extinction by roughly 300,000 years. Rather, the evidence suggests that two or more impacts caused the mass extinction experienced by dinosaurs.
“...99.9 per cent of all [species] that have ever existed are now extinct.” (Benton 1) After one hundred and sixty million years of domination, the reign of the dinosaurs ended in fire and ice. Sixty five million years ago, the largest volcanoes in the history of the Earth erupted across what is now India, effectively annihilating the dinosaurs by spewing out noxious gas and ash, that effectively blocked out the sun killing off most vegetation and breaking the food chain, leaving the dinosaurs to starve. Compared to other groups of animals the dinosaurs were the most vulnerable to such a climatic event and the result was the end of the dinosaurs’ glorious evolutionary history.
In Steven Spielberg's Jurassic Park, dinosaurs come to life on the big screen for audiences' worldwide. Millions have watched this film, but what number of them have halted to wonder at the truth behind the story? How many have stopped to think whether the dinosaurs are portrayed correctly within a scientific aspect? Unbeknownst to many, there are a number of mistakes in Spielberg's film regarding the dinosaurs, from how they were recreated to their common names.
So what killed the dinosaurs? Without having any background education in science it is hard for the general public to comprehend such matters and they rely on the knowledge of the scientists in this field. Although there has been much research on the subject nobody has come up with a conclusive answer. And we are left to read the countless articles, all having their own opinions as to the mass extinction. One such theory is that a shift in the solar system could have caused the mass destruction. According to an article published in Nature magazine,
Sex, drugs, and disasters are both popular topics that grab public attention and scientific theories of the extinction of dinosaurs. While sex and drug hypotheses represent silly speculations, the disaster claim is good science: it provides testable evidence, has an impact on other scientific fields, and generates continuous research.
Because dinosaurs are animals that lived millions of years ago, we are entirely dependent on the fossils that they have left behind for any understanding that we hope to gain. As any paleontologist will tell you, fossil hunting is difficult. There are no certainties, no guarantees. A certain amount of luck is as valuable as any scientific knowledge.
This article was also particularly interesting to me because this is a recent find and there is little to no literature published concerning the idea that dinosaurs may have been cannibals. This is a new fossil find in which makes any and all research being administered equally as important. The time period of these fossils date back nearly 65 to 75 million years ago to the late –Cretaceous period when dinosaurs neared the end of their existence on earth. The fossils that have been discovered that tend to persuade researchers to believe dinosaurs were cannibals have been located in Northwest Madagascar’s bone beds. Rogers states, “ Fossilized soil samples from the same region are red and oxidized, hinting that the area was arid, with food in short supply. The animals may have traveled to the river to find sustenance and died there.
We use dinosaurs to represent the changes in nature that have occurred throughout time. Studies found that although the “oldest rock did not show evidence of life, the progression of plant and animal life that changed in recognizable intervals, from ancient life, age of reptiles to the age of mammals” (Dino Nature Metaphor, slide 6), measured the age of the earth. When we think of dinosaurs in relation to nature, we think of that very powerful force that controls the cycle of life. Nature was able to yield such magnificent ferocious creatures that walked the earth and then take them back when they served nature’s purpose. Dinosaurs fit perfectly in nature’s constant
The Extinction of Dinosaurs How did the dinosaurs become extinct? This is a question that has stumped scientists ever since dinosaur fossils were first discovered. There are many theories as to how the dinosaurs became extinct. This page presents some of the most popular theories. Keep in mind that there is no absolutely proven theory.
The most significant event of the Cretaceous era came at its end. Nearly 65 million years ago, the second most severe mass extinction in earth’s history occurred. This resulted in the loss of around 80% of species living at the time. Though nowhere near as severe as the end-Permian mass extinction, the end-Cretaceous extinction is the most well known mass extinction event. This is due to the violent event that caused it the extinction, as well as the chapter of earth’s history that it closed: the Dinosaurs. The Cretaceous Event ( often shortened to K-T event) Of the animals that were killed off were the flying reptiles (pterosaurs) and the last few mosasaurs and plesiosaurs, both early marine reptiles. Many mollusks and species of microscopic plankton were killed. Terrestrial plants suffered mass extinction as well. Almost 60% of terrestrial plants were lost. This led to high extinction rates among insect populations, especially insects that were highly specialized to feed on just a few types of plants had it the worst. It took approximately 9 million years for the global insect populations to recover from the Cretaceous extinction. Immediately after the extinction, the earth saw an explosion of short term species who respond well to fire, or other external disturbance. Evidence of the catastrophe comes from a thin rock layer deposited worldwide just after the impact. It is dominated by fossil plants whose descendants recover quickly after fires of other disturbances, such as Fire Weed in Alaska. The causes of the Cretaceous extinction are still being debated by paleontologists. Scientists agree that the main cause of the extinction was a...
seems like it happened so sudden, as geologic time goes, that almost all the dinosaurs
...pdated 1995, accessed 3 Sept. 2000), Dino Buzz – What killed The Dinosaurs ? – Current Arguments,
Many different theories exist as to why the dinosaurs went extinct. We know for sure most dinosaurs died out around 65 million years ago. The majority of scientists agree on a number of theories as to what brought the end of the dinosaurs. The most popular theory is that an asteroid ended the reign of the dinosaurs. Another theory, massive climate change in the pre-historic atmosphere, caused all the dinosaurs to die. Some scientists believe that mammals out competed dinosaurs for food and other resources. The last theory that dinosaurs died due to a large amount of volcanism comes up in scientists list of theories as well. Many different theories of why dinosaurs went extinct include extinction by asteroid, mammals outcompeting dinosaurs, climate change and volcanism.