<h5>What do we know about the extinction of dinosaurs?</h5>  <p>An asteroid is generally believed to have struck the Earth, resulting in a mass extinction 66 million years ago. This asteroid struck our planet at the end of the Cretaceous period, which caused the end of the dinosaur age. It is said that three-quarters of all species on the planet died due to this impact.</p>
<p>The 10-kilometre-sized asteroid struck around the region where Mexico is now. This released energy equal to 10 billion atomic bombs (whoa!). All of the dinosaurs that couldn't fly died as a result of this explosion or from acid rain and impact winter that lasted for decades.
However, palaeontologists continue to debate whether the dinosaur population was already declining before the asteroid struck Earth. New research has suggested that the population of dinosaurs was declining even before the impact.
</p> <h5>What does the new research say?</h5>  <p>Researchers from the Chinese Academy of Sciences' Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Palaeoanthropology (IVPP) have found proof that the population of dinosaurs in central China was declining even before the extinction event occurred. The researchers are now looking to find out if this pattern was similar throughout Asia.</p>
<p>
The Chinese research backs up previous data, mostly from North America, that suggests that dinosaur populations were already declining. The study, conducted by researchers from IVPP, was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) journal.
</p> <h5>How was the research conducted?</h5> <figure>
        <img src="https://firebasestorage.googleapis.com/v0/b/newsahoot.appspot.com/o/asteroid-strike-may-not-be-the-sole-reason-for-dinosaur-extinction%2Fasteroid-strike-may-not-be-the-sole-reason-for-dinosaur-extinction-section1.jpg?alt=media&token=f720ba63-9098-44d0-bc78-4e111af55202" alt="How was the research conducted?" >
        <figcaption>Dinosaur fossil (Tyrannosaurus Rex) found by archaeologists. </figcaption>
      </figure> <p>The researchers studied more than 1,000 fossilised dinosaur eggshells and eggs from the Shanyang Basin in central China. The fossils were in rocks that were about 150 metres thick. More than 5,500 rock samples were tested using computers to date the fossils correctly. </p>
<p>
The fossils cover around a 2-million-year period till the end of the Cretaceous period. This allowed the researchers to conduct a proper study, which led them to discover a reduction in the dinosaur population in the area.
</p> <h5>What was the reason for the decline of the dinosaur population?</h5>  <p>Climate change across the globe and huge volcanic eruptions may have resulted in the decline of the dinosaur population. There are events documented in the geological record, like the Deccan Traps in India, that caused the population decline.
The Deccan Traps are located in Western India. It is a mountainous plateau formed 66 million years ago when molten lava burst from deep below the Earth, cooled, and solidified. This kind of volcanic activity sent massive amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, contributing to global warming.
The eruptions also released harmful chemicals, resulting in acid rain, which further harmed the environment. Temperatures may have also dropped as a result of ash and dust blocking sunlight. All these might have led to the population decline of dinosaurs.
What do you think about dinosaurs? What would it be like if they were still alive?</p>

An asteroid struck Earth, causing all dinosaurs to become extinct. However, new research suggests that the dinosaur population was declining even before the impact. Let’s read to find out more.

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