News:

Welcome to our site!

Main Menu

Looks like a comet did the deed

Started by WitchSabrina, March 23, 2013, 04:36:48 PM

Previous topic - Next topic

WitchSabrina

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/03/2 ... d%3D288221

QuoteThe rocky object that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago may have been a comet, rather than an asteroid, scientists say.

The 112-mile (180 kilometers) Chicxulub crater in Mexico was made by the impact that caused the extinction of dinosaurs and about 70 percent of all species on Earth, many scientists believe. A new study suggests the crater was probably blasted out by a faster, smaller object than previously thought, according to research presented this week at the 44th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference in The Woodlands, Texas.

Evidence of the space rock's impact comes from a worldwide layer of sediments containing high levels of the element iridium, dubbed the Cretaceous-Paleogene (K-Pg) boundary, which could not have occurred on Earth naturally.

The new research suggests the often-cited iridium values are incorrect, however. The scientists compared these values with levels of osmium, another element delivered by the impact.

Their calculations suggested the space rock generated less debris than previously thought, implying the space rock was a smaller object. In order for the smaller rock to have created the giant Chicxulub crater, it had to have been going exceedingly fast, the researchers concluded.
I am currently experiencing life at several WTFs per hour.

Atheon

See? Them their sientists keep chanjing there mind. Only teh BIBBLE is unchanjed!
"Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false, and by the rulers as useful." - Seneca

SGOS

Quote from: "WitchSabrina"The new research suggests the often-cited iridium values are incorrect, however. The scientists compared these values with levels of osmium, another element delivered by the impact.
Osmium!  Exactly!  Just what I always thought.  You can't wipe out dinosaurs with iridium.  For a job like that, it takes osmium, or better yet, full strength Osmium Plus with bleach.

NitzWalsh

You need the bleach to get your whites whiter. That just totally sounded racist when I repeated that in my head.
Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic.
~ Arthur C. Clarke

VaasMontenegro

I don't know about you guys, but if I came into possession of a time machine, the first 'time' I'd visit would be the Cretaceous period just to witness these magnificent beasts. They were far more worthy of the Earth than Humans have ever been and likely will ever be.
"I\'m not a schemer. I just try to show the schemers how pathetic their attempts to control things really are."

Johan

Quote from: "VaasMontenegro"I don't know about you guys, but if I came into possession of a time machine, the first 'time' I'd visit would be the Cretaceous period just to witness these magnificent beasts.
And he was never heard from again.
Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false and by the rulers as useful

AllPurposeAtheist

I suspect they actually went extinct after caveman 'cowboys' rode them to death as so eloquently depicted at the creation museum.
All hail my new signature!

Admit it. You're secretly green with envy.

Johan

So a comet hits the planet and 70% of the existing species die off. But there were no people then. I think if a similar sized comet hit the planet today, it would be a matter of hours or days before we killed each other off and took nearly every other living thing with us.

Scientists would immediately realize that the ability of the planet to sustain the current population would be severely impacted for years to come. Those scientists would inform their leaders of this. Their leaders would decide to nuke everyone else lest those countries nuke us first. Next thing you know, everything and everyone is dead or dying. We're humans. We fuck shit up. Its what we do.
Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false and by the rulers as useful

AllPurposeAtheist

I've never fucked anything up in my life... everything has gone completely as planned since birth..
All hail my new signature!

Admit it. You're secretly green with envy.

Jason78

Quote from: "Johan"So a comet hits the planet and 70% of the existing species die off. But there were no people then. I think if a similar sized comet hit the planet today, it would be a matter of hours or days before we killed each other off and took nearly every other living thing with us.

Scientists would immediately realize that the ability of the planet to sustain the current population would be severely impacted for years to come. Those scientists would inform their leaders of this. Their leaders would decide to nuke everyone else lest those countries nuke us first. Next thing you know, everything and everyone is dead or dying. We're humans. We fuck shit up. Its what we do.

Yeah, except the Earth would probably end up being populated by the descendants of crazy people with concrete bunkers, bottled water and canned goods.
Winner of WitchSabrinas Best Advice Award 2012


We can easily forgive a child who is afraid of the dark; the real
tragedy of life is when men are afraid of the light. -Plato

Johan

Quote from: "Jason78"Yeah, except the Earth would probably end up being populated by the descendants of crazy people with concrete bunkers, bottled water and canned goods.
Yep. The only survivors would be the preppers because they're ready for that sort of thing and the Duggars because there is just no way to kill all of them. That's evolution for ya.
Religion is regarded by the common people as true, by the wise as false and by the rulers as useful

aitm

Quote from: "Johan"and the Duggars because there is just no way to kill all of them.

 :rollin:
A humans desire to live is exceeded only by their willingness to die for another. Even god cannot equal this magnificent sacrifice. No god has the right to judge them.-first tenant of the Panotheust