What killed the dinosaurs and where did it come from? Researchers may be close to the answer

Harvard University scientists say a significant fraction of long-period comets originating from the Oort cloud, an icy sphere of debris at the edge of the solar system, can be bumped off course by Jupiter’s gravitational field during orbit

The researchers say their theory can be tested by further studying other similar craters, and even ones on the surface of the moon to determine the composition of the impactors. Picture: Gerd Altmann/Pixabay

Researchers say they may be one step closer to solving the mystery of where the asteroid or comet that destroyed the dinosaurs came from.

The Chicxulub impactor, as it is known, left behind a crater off the coast of Mexico that spans 93 miles and goes 12 miles deep.