Famous Paleontologist Dishes on Dinosaur Extinction

If dinosaurs could be wiped out in a geological instant, what does that say about us? Sixty-six million years ago, a single asteroid ended the age of dinosaurs and triggered one of the most catastrophic mass extinction events in Earth’s history. Learn all about what happened and what happened next in this new video from Colossal Biosciences, the de-extinction company. Dr. Kenneth Lacovara, a renowned paleontologist, geologist, and member of the Colossal Scientific Advisory Board, walks you through what really happened during the fifth mass extinction event. How big was the asteroid? What did the Chicxulub impact crater reveal? How fast did the dinosaurs die? And what were those final hours like on a planet hit by a magnitude 10 to 11 global earthquake and an atmosphere heated to pizza-oven-level temperatures? We explore the T. rex experience, the science behind impact winter, and the drilling projects that helped reconstruct the timeline of extinction. Then we zoom out. What if the asteroid had missed? Would non-avian dinosaurs still dominate Earth? Would mammals ever have risen? Would humans even exist? 🤯 Using the cosmic calendar analogy, we compress 4.5 billion years of Earth’s history into a single year and reveal just how recently dinosaurs went extinct and how shockingly new Homo sapiens really are. This isn’t just a story about dinosaurs. It’s a story about existence, evolution, adaptive radiation, and how one mass extinction event reshaped the trajectory of life on Earth. Dr. Lacovara is also the Founding Executive Director at the Edelman Field Museum, make sure to give them a follow and visit the museum if you have access: https://www.efm.org/ 0:00 - Intro 0:44 - The End of the Dinosaurs (Title) 0:47 - When the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs hit Earth, what were the apex predators? What else was walking the Earth during that time? 1:24 - After the asteroid hit the Earth, how long do we believe it took to kill off the dinosaurs? Do we have any idea what those final days and months were like? 2:47 - How do we know dreadnoughtus wasn't afraid of the crushing burden of responsibility for the consequences of its actions? 3:22 - If that asteroid hadn't hit Earth, what would the world be like today? Would there still be dinosaurs? 4:38 - Is it true that you are actually a character being played by Bruce Willis? 4:52 - What’s the shortest version you could tell of the story of life on Earth? Welcome to The End of the Dinosaurs. SUBSCRIBE to follow our innovations: https://bit.ly/3KqNZAy FOLLOW Colossal to stay ahead of every breakthrough: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/colossal TikTok: https://www.tiktok.com/@colossal X: https://twitter.com/colossal Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/itiscolossal LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/colossal/ About Colossal Biosciences: MAKING EXTINCTION A THING OF THE PAST. Colossal is a breakthrough bioscience and genetic engineering company that builds radical new technologies to advance the field of genomics. Colossal Biosciences creates disruptive technologies for extinct species restoration, critically endangered species protection and the repopulation of critical ecosystems that support the continuation of life on Earth. The company is the first to apply CRISPR technology for the purposes of species de-extinction. Colossal is accepting humanity’s duty to restore Earth to a healthier state, while also solving for the future economies and biological necessities of the human condition through cutting-edge science and technologies.