Extinction Theory and Its Impact in Contemporary Society

The apparently sudden mass extinction of Dinosaurs marks the boundary between the Cretaceous and Tertiary periods. This catastrophic event has also triggered a large amount of interest in both scientific and general communities. Many speculations have thus been made regarding the reasons for the death of the dinosaurs. These include extreme changes in the global climate and sea levels, and supernova explosions.

During the 1980's notable new theories emerged regarding the mass extinction of dinosaurs. There has also been a concentrated effort to research these theories in terms of possible dangers to the human race. Luis Alvarez for example originated the idea of an asteroid striking the earth to cause the catastrophic demise not only of prehistoric reptiles, but also of most of the life forms present on the earth of the time.

According to the Alvarez theory, the environmental consequences of...
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