Scientist are beginning to cast doubt that a giant asteroid impact may have killed off the dinosaurs in a rapid single event. A new theory explores
atmospheric changes caused by volcanic eruptions that changes the face of history 250 million years ago.
www.msnbc.msn.com
Atmospheric changes related to volcanic eruptions, and not a giant asteroid, were probably the main factors behind Earth's biggest die-off about 250
million years ago, according to two separate teams of scientists working at sites around the globe.
The mass extinction, known as the “Great Dying,” extinguished 90 percent of sea life and nearly three-quarters of land-based plants and
animals.
There has been recent evidence that a big asteroid or meteor hit the Earth and triggered the catastrophe, but researchers say they now have evidence
that something much more long-term was the culprit.
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If true, this would be a big change in the commonly held belief of an asteroid caused the mass extinction. A slower process would have allowed more
animals to adapt tot he change, and explain why all life was not wiped out in the impact.
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There is a lot of evidence that this was a gradual, long term change. One thing that most people don’t realize is that by the end of the late
Cretaceous, the incredible diversity of dinosaurs that was present in the Jurassic was already gone. The sauropods were long gone. Most of the
Pterosuars were gone. The jungles and swamps had given way to grasslands.
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Is this what mother nature has in store for us? With current state global climate and things aint lookin' good for the future.
Is this apocolypise already here!?!!?!?!
AHHHHHHHHHH RUNNNNNNNNNNNNN
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This is about the Great Dying that occurred 250 million years ago, not the extinction of the Dinosaurs that occured 65 million years ago. They are
totally separate incidents.
From the article: 
The Permian-Triassic extinction opened the way for the rise of dinosaurs — which themselves fell victim to another mass die-off 65 million years
ago. Most experts agree that the catastrophic impact of a massive asteroid or crater played the primary role in that extinction, at the boundary
between the Cretaceous and Tertiary geologic periods. The blast is thought to have formed the Chicxulub crater off Mexico’s Yucatan Peninsula.
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oops, you are right, it is about the permian extinction.
My argument about the dinosaurs still stands, however. They were dying out long before the end of the Cretaceous.
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You're trying to tell me that global warming and cooling, extinctions. and changes in ozone and ocean currents, are part of a natural cycle that has
occuirred, is occurring now, and will occur in the future?
Damn, and here I was believing the hubris that Humanity actually had the power to mess up the environment, mostly unintentionally, with our wasteful,
evil technological, industrial and meat-eating ways!
Sorry, I can't help being sarcastic. I'm always getting bombarded by extreme "environmentalists" (no, not the ones who speak of moderation,
understanding and balance) who have this arrogant belief that Humanity can actually cause events of this magnatude. As if Mother Nature casually
bitch-slapping humanity with a tsunami wasn't enough of a wake up call. Our paltry written history of a couple thousand years doesn't make a dent in
the lifespan of the planet that's already passed, much less when you take into the account the distant, unimaginable future.
This planet was around looong before we were, and will be around a looooong time after we're gone. We'll be lucky to make a lasting change on this
globe even if we *deliberately* set out to do so.
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Phugedaboudet just because nature can cause mass changes to the earth does not mean that man can't as well. Such illogical conclusions are usually
expressed by people who have no wish to stop consuming. I suspect that there are many people in Africa who will become ever more angry as they learn
about the cause of the droughts in the 70/80's. You know what I'm talking about don't you ?
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