It is a discovery that has been sought for a long time. Scientists in the United States have discovered fossils of animals that would have died the day a giant asteroid collided. It was that rock that was twelve kilometers in diameter that ended the empire of the dinosaurs.
So far, few dinosaur remains have been found that can be dated to the period around the so-called Chicxulub effect. The asteroid collided with our planet in the Gulf of Mexico, causing the last major mass extinction of animal and plant species.
Scientists conducting research in the US state of North Dakota say they have found traces that could be related to the asteroid. That is while the site of Tanis is about 3000 km away. The impact of the rocks was so strong that dinosaurs may have been swept away by the nearby rivers.
In addition, fish are found in tanis with small particles in the gills. They could have come from a large boulder that was twelve kilometers long. They could have inhaled tiny bits of the asteroid, according to a chemical analysis.
question marks
Independent experts the BBC spoke to remain somewhat skeptical about the findings. Researchers at Tanis are pretty sure that the fossils come from dinosaurs that died in the tidal wave. Differentiate between independent scholars
A fish with an asteroid cut out is called the “Absolute Calling Card”. Professor Steve Brusatte of the University of Edinburgh said: “With regard to the other allegations, I would say they are circumstantial evidence that has not yet been presented to the jury.”
Johann Vilkop also disputes the allegations made by the BBC. He is an assistant professor at KU Leuven and a researcher at the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences. In addition, he also conducted research on the Tanis website, but was not involved in the research that the BBC is now writing about.
According to Vilkup, it is difficult for researchers to first engage with the media without publishing a scientific article. “This is not the way we’re supposed to do science,” he told our editors. “Of course it’s a great story if it’s true that it’s about a dinosaur that died in a tidal wave. It would be the first evidence around the world. I would like it to be that too, but that’s a risk. That’s why it should first be looked at critically by independent scientists. And only then should you say these kinds of things in the media.”
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