THE SIXTH MASS EXTINCTION
Sep 01, 2022
4 minutes
by Charles C. Hofer
bout 66 million years ago, life on Earth changed dramatically when a giant asteroid slammed into our planet with the force equivalent of 10 billion atomic bombs. The blast shot debris into the atmosphere, blocking out the Sun. The Earth’s climate changed almost overnight. The planet cooled and ecosystems collapsed. After years of cold, the gases that the impact released triggered a period of rapid global warming. Within a few thousand years, the mighty dinosaurs—who ruled for 185 million years—were no more. This event would be Earth’s Fifth Mass Extinction, when nearly three quarters of all plants and animals
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