As young kids, we spent no shortage of time learning about all of the animals that have inhabited planet earth since the origin of time. And while there are tons and tons of fascinating species in the world, there was always one topic in particular that stood out to all of us- dinosaurs. Whether it was just the sheer concept of another species living on the earth before we were even alive, or the tales we were told about their incredible strength and size, we were transfixed by dinosaurs, specifically their disappearance. One thing that never quite made sense was how such an exceedingly powerful group of animals, that lived in what seemed to be every corner of the world at one point, could just up and vanish one day. The answer of …show more content…
There are, however, several plausible causes for each extinction event that either by themselves, or with the help of other factors, triggered the mass extinctions of a numerous amount of life forms. One of the largest supposed causes of many mass extinctions are flood basalt events, which are the result of a giant volcanic eruption, or series of eruptions, that coat large stretches of land and the ocean floor with basalt lava. While when small, these events can be seemingly harmless, large eruptions can produce dust and aerosols, which stop photosynthesis and cause food chains to collapse both on land and at sea. In addition, flood basalt events emit sulfur oxides, which precipitate as acid rain and poison many organisms, along with carbon dioxide, causing sustained global warming once the dust and aerosols dissipate, both of which aid in the further collapsing of food chains. There have been eleven situations documented so far where flood basalt events have had either a direct or indirect impact on the occurrence of a mass extinction. Next in line on the long list of possible causes are sea-level falls, the exact opposite of sea-level rises, which can actually be extremely beneficial to the environment. A sea-level fall involves a large decrease in the total volume of water in the world’s ocean,
So what killed the dinosaurs? Without having any background education in science it is hard for the general public to comprehend such matters and they rely on the knowledge of the scientists in this field. Although there has been much research on the subject nobody has come up with a conclusive answer. And we are left to read the countless articles, all having their own opinions as to the mass extinction. One such theory is that a shift in the solar system could have caused the mass destruction. According to an article published in Nature magazine,
65 million years ago dinosaurs were wiped out from the land. They ruled the land for 165 million years. What happened to them? A lot of people believe that the the extinction of dinosaurs was from a huge asteroid that killed them. But theories say that was just the final blow to end off the dinosaurs. People say they were dying before that due to climate change. People are skeptical that if it missed dinosaurs and humans would have live together or would they have not. The dinosaurs died due to the climate change but also a asteroid.
Stephen Gould’s essay “Sex, Drugs, Disasters, and the Extinction of the Dinosaurs” completely agrees with Joseph Williams and Gregory Colomb’s essay “Argument, Critical Thinking, and Rationality.” Gould’s essay deals with three theories for the extinction of the dinosaurs, two of which he argues are entirely invalid because they are not in accordance with the basic rules of argument laid out by Williams and Colomb in their essay. Gould also states that the third theory of dinosaur extinction, natural disaster, follows all the rules that Williams and Colomb espouse, and thus is a sound argument. Gould, Williams, and Colomb all state that the world has a problem with irrational arguments being shoved down people’s throats, and call for a
Nobody knows for sure exactly how the dinosaurs became extinct. However scientists have speculated for decades about possible events that caused the dinosaurs to die out. Possibilities range from asteroids, to volcanoes, to climate changes. One of the more popular or well-known extinction theories involves the belief that an asteroid struck the Earth, causing devastating effects, and triggering mass extinctions around the end of the Cretaceous period.
Dinosaurs ruled the earth for over 65 million years and thankfully for the human race, they became extinct. Ultimately, only a major catastrophe could completely wipe out an entire species, let alone an entity of dinosaurs and the debacle on the causes of dinosaur extinction have flooded the minds of paleontologists for centuries. Geologist and zoologist Stephen Jay Gould published “Sex, Drugs, Disasters, and the Extinction of Dinosaurs,” to compare scientific and speculative causes of dinosaur decimation. Personally, I found this passage very informational and enjoyed reading it. Gould provides three theories that capture the reader’s curiosity, allowing room for pondering in one’s mind.
8. The periods in which there were mass extinctions are Permian – volcanic eruptions which spewed lava and put CO2 into the air which warmed the climate an estimated 6 degrees Celsius. The resulting of oxygen deficiency. And Cretaceous – asteroid or comet
In Stephen Jay Gould’s “Sex, Drugs, Disasters, and the Extinction of Dinosaurs”, Gould investigates three possible theories hypothesizing the reason behind the extinction of dinosaurs. The first theory suggests that dinosaurs became extinct due to a rise in temperature, which caused sperm to die, leading to the sterilization of male dinosaurs. The second hypothesis offer that many dinosaurs consumed bitter plants that contained psychoactive agents which their lives could not detoxify out of their systems. The last speculation about the dinosaur’s extinction is that a large cloud of dust formed in the atmosphere after an asteroid hit Earth’s surface. This dust cloud blocked out the sunlight, causing temperatures to drop and made photosynthesis impossible. Gould uses these three theories to lead to his central claim that science isn’t just about making fascinating claims, but should have a well developed hypothesis.
who theorize that volcanic eruptions could have been the cause for the extinction of dinosaurs
There are several hypotheses that are used to explain the causes of mass extinctions. Climate change, the warming or cooling of global environments over a short period of time, can lead to other occurrences. Shifts in climate can cause extinction by
There were over 1,000 different species of dinosaurs (“Dinosaurs”) that lived and evolved for almost 185 million years (“Dinosaur Facts”). Dinosaurs were some of the largest and most mysterious creatures to walk the Earth. Dinosaurs have helped scientists to understand the Earth and it 's past by studying different types, how they lived, their characteristics and what caused their mass extinction.
Dinosaur extinction: An analysis of events and theories that possibly led to the dinosaurs' demise.
There have been five well known extinctions on this earth. The one most well known is the mass extinction that ended the dinosaurs. Mass extinction is often described as the elimination of a large number of species in a short period of time. Despite what many think, the elimination of species is almost commonplace at this point. The Earth is currently in the middle of a sixth mass extinction, and it’s been caused by the human race.
Over 98% of all organisms that have lived on Earth are now extinct. A mass extinction event occurs when a large number of species die out within a small time frame (relative to the age of Earth). Mass extinctions are intensively studied for both cause and effect, as there is usually room for debate regarding catalysts that precede the extinction and the massive influx of new biological species that follows. There have been five major mass extinctions, dubbed the “Big Five,” that have wiped out at least 50% of the species living at those times. The most well known mass extinction of the Big Five, with the decimation of every species of non-avian dinosaur, is the Cretaceous-Paleogene
The biggest mystery surrounding the dinosaur is how did they die? For over 130 million years dinosaurs ruled the earth. Then 65 million years ago, at the end of the Cretaceous period, they died out.
Rapid climate change also ends up on the suspect list of possible dinosaur extinction events. During the latter part of the Cretaceous Period continents broke up causing volcanoes to erupt and fill the sky with gas and ash resulting in a drastic climate change (“Dinosaurs Climate Change and Biodiversity”). The shifting of continents changed the Earth’s landscape, altering weather patterns and overall climate (“Dinosaur Extinction Theories”). Also, over a long period of time, climate gradually changed. Ocean habits changed, temperatures grew much more extreme causing scorching summers and frigid winters (Norell, Dingus, and Gaffney). Radical temperature changes like these led to a green-house effect, making life for the dinosaurs a lot