News > Dinosaur-killing asteroid strike gave rise to Amazon rainforest
Dinosaur-killing asteroid strike gave rise to Amazon rainforest
09/04/2021 08:32 PM | Click to read full article
The asteroid impact that killed off the dinosaurs gave birth to our planet's tropical rainforests, a study suggests. After the 12km-wide space rock struck Earth 66 million years ago, the type of vegetation that made up these forests changed drastically.
Scientists found that cone-bearing plants called conifers and ferns were common before the huge asteroid struck what is now the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.
