What killed the dinosaurs

Introduction:

It is one of the greatest puzzles in paleontology.

For more than 150 million years, dinosaurs rule the Earth. They were so successful than other animals groups, mammals included, had little change of taking over.

Then, 65 million years ago, the dinosaurs disappeared from the world altogether.

Did they meet a quick and catastrophic end, or did they fade away gradually?

What happened 65 million years ago?

In the search for answers to what killed the dinosaurs at the end of the Cretaceous Period in the Mesozoic Era, scientists have looked beyond fossils. Geological evidence also holds clues and has led to many hypotheses, working explanations, of how dinosaurs may have become extinct.

The extinction mystery is far from a simple “whodunit.” The same piece of evidence is sometimes subject to multiple interpretations. And, as yet, there is no obvious answer, no piece of evidence that strongly supports only one hypothesis while showing that all others are incorrect.

So what do we know about dinosaur extinction, and how do we know it.

Evidence:

Scientific evidence and observations are the building blocks of hypotheses. At first the same evidence and observations may support different hypotheses. As more evidence becomes available, some hypotheses are proven, others are disproved, and new ones are formed.

Hypotheses:

A dinosaur extinction hypothesis is a testable statement describing factors that may have played a part in the dinosaur’s extinction and how long the process may have taken. Evidence, observations, and experimentation can serve to support or disprove a hypothesis. Regardless of its acceptance or rejection, through, a good hypothesis provides direction for future scientific study.

Several hypotheses will be considered in the following readings: