Dark Matter: Theories Of Dinosaur Extinction

There are many different theories as the why dinosaurs became extinct. Theories range from the gases that were in the air at that time to meteorite impacts that decimated continents. In 2014, scientists introduced a new theory of dinosaur extinction: dark matter. Dark matter is a likely contributor to dinosaur extinction because it has two main effects that scientists say resulted in dinosaur extinction. These two main effects, the makings of an inhospitable environment coupled with the massive extraterrestrial impacts of meteorites, are required in order for devastating mass extinction to occur. The inhospitable environment was created by the dark matter’s interactions with the core of the earth, which led to ecological changes that made …show more content…
The other scenario is volcanic eruptions that split apart the earth, making it inhospitable. That is, at least, what’s depicted in dinosaur movies that many children watch. But, in an article by Sid Perkins on sciencemag.org, scientist Michael Rampino says “It’s always been a mystery as to how extraterrestrial impacts could cause these long-lived geological effects”. Essentially, criticizing the extraterrestrial impact theory. Instead of investing in the extraterrestrial impact theory, Rampino proposes dark matter. Perkins, the author of the article, admits that not many scientists know what dark matter it is but there is much of it out there, as made evident by the gravitational pull it has on other …show more content…
Kent provides evidence to his point, saying that large impacts don’t seem to have the widespread geological impact that most would think, using the extraterrestrial object that impacted Chesapeake Bay almost 35 million years ago as an example. Without being followed by ecological devastation, he says, the effects of the mass extinction were not quite as impactful because one needed to work in tandem with the other. In order for the effects of this disruption to be decimating to the creatures inhabiting the earth, there would have to be an additional cause. Author Elizabeth Gibney (2014) illustrates how dark matter could also have been the cause for so many meteorite showers impacting the earth during the time of the

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