Fossil Dated to The Very Day of Dinosaur Extinction
In a discovery described as “absolutely bonkers” by Phillip Manning, professor of natural history at the University of Manchester, scientists have found a leg belonging to a thescelosaurus that died on the day an asteroid strike killed the dinosaurs. The leg—which is perfectly preserved and even has skin still attached—is embedded with “debris from the impact, which rained down only in its immediate aftermath.” Scientists at the Tanis dig site in North Dakota, where the fossil was found, can date discoveries there incredibly accurately using this debris, rather than using the traditional carbon dating technique. The team at the site also found a fish that breathed debris into its lungs, and what might be a fragment of the asteroid itself. Perhaps they will uncover even more remarkable remnants from the day 66 million years ago when an asteroid hit the Gulf of Mexico. Read more at The Guardian.
Image courtesy of iStock
Via theguardian.com link opens in a new window
