Scientists have a new theory of what killed the dinosaurs

American researchers have a new theory about how an object hit the Earth and caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Most scientists agree on where impact it happened about 65 million years ago. They say a huge object hit an area off the coast of present-day Mexico. Astronomers have said the most likely cause of the strike was one asteroid oa comet.

In recent years, researchers have presented evidence that the impact was caused by an asteroid. The theory suggests that the asteroid came from an area between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter.

But a study by two astronomers at Harvard University presents a new theory: the collision was caused by a comet. Researchers say the comet came from an area that contained ice runa on the edge of the solar system. The area is known as the Oort Cloud.

His theory states that the comet was dragged into the solar system by Jupiter’s gravity. Then the comet came very close to the sun, from whom tidal force made it break into pieces. Researchers believe one of the pieces crashed into the site that scientists have identified in Mexico.

The team based their theory on a model created to predict the probability that a long-lived comet from the Oort cloud would reach Earth. Long-period comets take more than 200 years to orbit the Sun.

Because comets come from frozen areas of the outer solar system, they are more icy than asteroids. They are known to leave long traces of gas and dust as they melt.

The new study was recently published in Scientific reports. The lead author was Amir Siraj, a student of astrophysics at Harvard. “Jupiter is so important because it is the most massive planet in our solar system,” he told French news agency AFP.

Siraj said the findings showed that Jupiter’s great influence pushes “these long-period incoming comets into orbits that bring them very close to the sun.” Comets experience such a large tidal force that it comes from the sun “that the most massive would do make crumbs in about a thousand fragments, “He said. Each of these fragments would be large enough to produce one crater the size of the Mexican site, he added.

It is estimated that this massive impact was equal to the force of about 10 billion nuclear bombs. The US space agency NASA has estimated that the strike created a huge crater about 180 kilometers wide and 900 meters deep.

The event is believed to have caused widespread forest fires, earthquakes and ocean waves. It also released chemicals into the atmosphere, which caused intense cooling. Scientists blame the event for having destroyed more than 70 percent of plant and animal life. In addition, all the dinosaurs that were not similar to birds died.

Researchers say their theory can be tested by studying Mexico’s crater more closely, and possibly those of the Moon. In addition, space explorers can also be sent to collect comet material for examination.

The study also suggests that similar impacts can be expected to affect the Earth approximately once every 250 to 730 million years. But the project’s other lead researcher, Harvard professor Avi Loeb, noted that this is only an estimate.

“You never know when the next one will come,” he said. “The best way to find out is to look for the sky.”

I’m Bryan Lynn.

Bryan Lynn wrote this story to learn English, based on reports from the Agence France-Presse and The Harvard Gazette. Mario Ritter, Jr. he was the editor.

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Words in this story

impact – n. an act or event in which something strikes something else

asteroid – n. a space rock, which can be small or the size of a large moon, orbiting the sun

comet – n. an object in outer space that is made of material such as gas and ice that is left behind in its orbit as it approaches the sun

runa – n. pieces that remain after something falls apart

tidal force – n. a secondary force of gravity involving two objects

make crumbs – v. to break suddenly into many pieces

fragment – n. a broken piece of something that used to be bigger

crater – n. a round hole made by an explosive force like a bomb or an object falling from the sky