Dinosaurs wiped out by asteroid, agree scientists

DINOSAURS were wiped out by an asteroid the size of the Isle of Wight that hit the Earth with the explosive power of a billion atom bombs, scientists have concluded.

A report from 41 international experts discounts an alternative theory that volcanic eruptions ended the reptiles’ 160 million-year reign.

The scientists reviewed 20 years’ worth of evidence in search of a definitive answer to the mystery of what happened around 65 million years ago.

More than half of species on the planet, including the dinosaurs, vanished in the Cretaceous-Tertiary (KT) mass-extinction.

The leading theory has been a large asteroid impact off the coast of Mexico. But some scientists have argued a series of volcanic super-eruptions in India may have been to blame for the dinosaurs’ demise.

But the new review has come out strongly in favour of the extinction being caused by a nuclear-scale asteroid impact. The giant space rock, around 15km across, slammed into the Earth at Chicxulub, off the Yucatan peninsular.

Dr Gareth Collins, one of the scientists from the Department of Earth Science and Engineering at Imperial College London, said: “The asteroid was about the size of the Isle of Wight and hit Earth 20 times faster than a speeding bullet.

“Ironically, while this hellish day signalled the end of the 160 million year reign of the dinosaurs, it turned out to be a great day for mammals, who had lived in the shadow of the dinosaurs prior to this event.

“The KT extinction was a pivotal moment in Earth’s history, which ultimately paved the way for humans to become the dominant species on Earth.”