Only a couple weeks to go for the Summer Assignment. Keep up the great comments.
Only one link this week, it is another long article. Are we wrong about why the dinosaurs went extinct?
It is important to remember the role that debates like this play in scientific research. If everyone just accepted the first explanation presented them, there would never be any advances.
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This week’s article, “The Nastiest Feud in Science”, written by Bianca Bosker, was about finding the truth about the actual cause of the fifth extinction. The article was extremely interesting, partially relating back to the long article from week 4 about disasters that can occur on this planet, from either our actions or natural occurrences. This article focuses on the debate between scientists on the reason behind the fifth extinction which wiped out the dinosaurs, and follows Gerta Keller and the narrator, along with a few colleagues, on a journey across India to find the truth. Keller is a paleontology and geology professor and has dedicated decades of her life to find the actual cause of the extinction of the dinosaurs. Her findings have disagreed with the Alvarez theory, which says that the Chicxulub asteroid was the cause of the extinction. The crater’s impact was named the “Crater of Doom,” which is a 111-mile wide cavity on the Yucatán Peninsula. The theory includes that the asteroid had crashed into the Earth, and it spewed iridium and pulverized rock dust around the globe. They also use both of these as pieces of evidence of the theory, as iridium had been found deposited all over the world at the same time as organisms were dying in mass. After the Alvarez theory was agreed upon by many scientists, anyone who dared to oppose the theory was verbally attacked by Alvarez, as he used his power to mock and discredit his opponents. This included many such as Dewey McLean, a geologist at Virginia Tech, who is credited with proposing the theory of Deccan volcanism. With all the insults being thrown and scientists fearing for their occupations, many backed off of opposing the Alvarez theory, except for a few including Keller. “Keller’s resistance has put her at the core of one of the most rancorous and longest-running controversies in science” (Bosker, 2018). Even though Keller has been going against a large scientific community that believes in the meteor theory, she has found many pieces of evidence that support the theory of Deccan volcanism. She found healthy populations of forams (nickname for single celled marine organisms called foraminifera) west of the crater even after the asteroid hit. Photosynthetic organisms also survived, which should have died when the sun was blocked by dust clouds. Additionally, the four previous extinctions were not caused by an impact, even though there have been many meteor impacts over Earth’s history. Even with all this evidence, both theories are still debated, as scientists from either side overlook evidence that disproves their own theories. Both sides are constantly disagreeing on if the disappearances of many species during the time period was caused by a fast devastation, such as an impact of a large meteor (Alvarez theory), or a slow and gradual devastation, such as a series of volcanic eruptions (Theory of Deccan volcanism). Both theories are a possible explanation of why so many species went extinct, but we must learn from history to make sure that we are not victim to the next major disaster that might even make humans extinct.
This week I read the article about how people are still debating what happened to the dinosaurs. While the widely accepted story is that they were killed off, practically overnight, by an giant asteroid, many scientists have a different opinion. This article focuses on the specific viewpoint of a geologist, named Gerta Keller. Keller believes that an asteroid didn't kill the dinosaurs, but a series of volcanic eruptions did, much like the several previous mass extinctions. While she does not deny that the earth has been hit by an Mount Everest sized asteroid, she believes that it didn't happen until thousands of years after the dinosaurs had already gone extinct. As fascinating as this is, the end of the article makes a much deeper point; The impact of the fossil fuels that our society burns is nearly identical to the Deccan volcanic effect, which in theory, has killed off a majority of the species that have ever roamed the Earth. We may be in the middle of our own mass extinction and not even know. In hundreds of millions of years, future life will debate how the most powerful species managed to get exterminated. Little will they know, that we were stupid and ignorant enough to get ourselves killed off, one by one.
This article "Nastiest Feud in Science" was incredibly interesting to me since it expressed that ideas do not often gave to follow a set path and debates can be the way to progress. I believe that since Keller is acting on a very bold and risky move in the scientific community that could possibly lead to a more increased understanding of how 3/4 of the life during the Cretaceous period-most commonly known for the dinosaurs-went extinct. However, major figureheads in the scientific community such as Luis Alvarez and his son Walter Alvarez fiercely defending the KT Impact Dinosaur Extinction Event and opposing the Deccan Volcanism "party",if you will, in the field of paleontology. Many paleontologists and geologists have always wondered what could suddenly kill such a large population of life so drastically. Since it was widely assumed that it was a sudden extinction, an asteroid was the only possible answer available, presented by Luis Alvarez. However, if the extinction was not, in fact, as sudden as assumed, it might be from active volcanism that could devastate over time. This is what caused Gerta Keller and many scientists like her to question the theory of an asteroid impact. After looking up topics that relate to the Asteroid vs. Deccan Volcanism theories. I noticed that the graphs regarding the 5 mass extinctions, there was a clear bias connecting an asteroid to the spike of extinction of the KT event. However, I looked at the other mass extinction events and found that they were suspected the cause of our planet mainly. They all mentioned the climate changing in a way that the animals couldn't adapt. In addition, a slow and powerful change is most likely and possible considering the environment as of the past when many dormant volcanoes might have been active. Climate change takes time to be noticed, almost until it is too late. Volcanoes can do that. The traces of the iridium in the rock could have come from earths core along with the lava. The 6th mass extinction probably won't be from something as dramatic as an asteroid. All of the almost all of the previous 5 mass extinctions have asteroids and volanism as suspected clauses. Except the Ordovician extinction which killed almost 85% of all life on Earth at that time because of a continental drift and a change in the climate and the Triassic extinction which only had volcanism as a cause. I feel that there is some room for the idea for the Deccan Volcano theory because the 5th mass extinction might ave just been the aftermath of the previous. Some large dormant volcanoes that were active after the 4th. They could have later erupted because of the stress of the churning of molten rock and iridium in the mantle and the eruption of a large volcano could have created the crater at the tip of mexico. It also could be the crater of an asteroid that previously landed during one of the previous mass extinctions. Looking at the planet now, the volcanoes could just be replaced with the fossil fuel burning of today, releasing as much carbon dioxide into the air and stopping us from thriving. A mass extinction caused by what we have done to ourselves, as opposed to what nature has done to past organisms. Personally, I believe in the asteroid theory but a scientific debate is just as energizing as a political debate and, hopefully, can get more progressive to finding out what really happened to the dinosaurs in the most recent mass extinction on Earth.
This week's article titled "The Nastiest Feud in Science" was extremely interesting to me because I never knew there was a conflicting theory against the "impact theory". The article enlightened me of the debate between the impact theory, created by Nobel prize winning physicist Luis Alvarez, and the Deccan volcanism theory by Gerta Keller. The Alvarez theory claims that a large asteroid (Chicxulub asteroid) measuring 6 miles wide slammed into Earth near the Yucatan peninsula creating a 111 mile wide crater. The theory says this asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs and other life forms in the 5th mass extinction the Earth had experienced. The impact created fireballs, tsunamis, earthquakes and basically was an "Old Testament version of Hell". Gerta Keller's theory is completely different. Her theory is that a large volcanic eruption wiped out the life. She found many different pieces of evidence which caused her to strongly oppose the impact theory. For example, all other mass extinctions occurred gradually and over time whereas the impact theory indicates the extinction happened in essentially a weekend. Another piece of evidence supporting Keller is that she found evidence of photosynthetic organisms living after the date of the asteroid impact. This should not be possible because the impact theory claims that large clouds covered the Earth creating a "suffocating darkness". Although Keller worked extremely hard to get to where she is in the scientific community, she receives ridicule and doubt. Despite the fact that she has found ample evidence to prove the impact theory wrong, many still support the impact theory and the debate between the two theories is still standing.
Most scientists are nearly certain that an asteroid that landed in Mexico killed the dinosaurs, yet that idea is still up for debate by others who find it to be a little bit too convenient. One of these scientists, Greta Keller, believes that the mass-extinction was instead caused by many volcanoes errupting in west India. This idea, although only supported by a small number of people, has forced others to question their own data. Many who support the asteroid theory are resistant to any other ideas, however finding out the true cause of the dinosaurs' extinction may be helpful in preventing our own. Keller believes that we are in the process of a gradual extinction, this time caused by man-made pollutants instead of volcanoes. There have been five mass extinctions, the first 444 million years ago and the most resent about 66 million years ago. Between each extinction life on Earth has thrived, only for most of it to be wiped away by the next some million years later. However, such extinctions tend to be gradual, which is just what Keller discovered when studying single called organisms called foraminifera. She found evidence that populations of the organisms began to decline 300,000 years before the asteroid hit, speeding up until about one third were extinct. Based on Keller's findings, it makes sense that the asteroid did not suddenly wipe out 96% of life on Earth, yet most scientists blindly went along with the old theory to avoid ridicule or losing their jobs. Other types of scientists even began to get involved in these "dinosaur wars," but seemed to only succeed in butting heads. They reached opposing conclusions on the speed of the extinction, and thus, the cause of the extinction.
Despite the controversy, Keller has continued to gather evidence against the asteroid claim. Keller did not find the specific asteroid thought to cause the extinction to seem particularly deadly, and no other mass extinction had been triggered by an impact, despite many other asteroids. Based on samples of the ground, Keller concluded that the suspected asteroid had actually hit 200,000 years before the extinction. This led her looking for a culprit elsewhere, namely a volcano, as the first four extinctions had been due to one million year volcanic eruptions. Keller documented huge lava flows from the Deccan Traos volcano, just before the extinction. The volcano errupted for about 750,000 years, and the last 60,000 years were so bad that the Earth's ecosystem was destroyed. Even when Laki volcano errupted shortly in 1783 it caused global disaster in the form of deaths, famine and a constant fog. A similar event over hundreds of thousands of years would undoubtedly have had catastrophic results, including poisoned food supplies, acid rain and temperatures rising as much as 46°. Yet despite Keller's evidence and reasoning, those who support the impact theory refuse to consider the other side, although some have incorporated volcanism into their asteroid theory of extinction.
I think it is important for scientists to consider to question each others' work, even theories that have long been accepted as fact. As we continue to advance technology it is possible to make new discoveries that disprove old ones. However, if no one questions the old theories, no new discoveries can be made.
The article for this week provided an interesting new theory explaining the extinction of dinosaurs that I never even knew existed, and helped me to realize just how important pinpointing the cause and reasons behind the dinosaur extinction over 60 million years ago might be. The theory I have been familiar with since elementary school, formally called the impact theory, theorizes that a big asteroid struck the Earth with an extraordinary force many years ago, instantly killing the dinosaurs off. Like evolution, this theory is practically accepted as scientific fact now. However, also like evolution, the theory comes with its critics, one of them being a woman named Gerta Keller, a professor at Princeton University who believes Deccan volcanism to be the true reason behind the mass extinction. As opposed to one huge asteroid, Deccan volcanism argues that a series of volcanic eruptions in a region of India referred to as the Deccan Traps killed the dinosaurs. Despite the evidence she has collected and the fact that the theory itself has existed for 40 years(though abandoned for a majority of this time), Keller's argument continues to be met with ridicule of many of her fellow scientists, who have closed their minds to the possibility of there being any other cause other than a massive asteroid striking the Earth. I feel that this close-mindedness is a bad quality for a person working in the scientific field to have, because it can cause them to reject theories, evidence and conclusive research findings simply because it goes against something has been indoctrinated in their minds for many years. With the importance that determining the reasons and cause of the dinosaurs' deaths holds, it is even more important to consider all options. Unbeknownst to me before reading this article, determining the aforementioned can in fact prevent the human species from meeting the same demise many years in the future after so many years of life on this Earth. As for now, though, the "dinosaur wars" rage on as scientists from both sides argue over the true reason. While we might not ever know the true answer for sure, I hope that scientists are able to extract important findings that will give them the answers they need to know concerning the preservation of the human race in the years to come.
This week's article was called "The Nastiest Feud in Science" by Bianca Bosker, and was about the intense debate regarding the extinction of the dinosaurs. A Princeton geologist named Gerta Keller traveled Hyderabad, India in quest of evidence that would support her theory and invalidate the commonly believed asteroid impact theory. The asteroid theory is that dinosaurs were eradicated by a six-mile wide asteroid that smashed earth's surface with the force of 10 billion atomic bombs, causing fireballs, tsunamis, earthquakes, and suffocating darkness worldwide. The previous theories were no longer considered valid because physicist Luis Alvarez and three colleagues from UC Berkeley found iridium deposited all over the world at approximately the same time that dinosaurs were dying in large numbers, which proved the asteroid theory. However, Keller doesn't believe this theory; instead, she believes that the extinction of dinosaurs was caused by a series of colossal volcanic eruptions in the Deccan Traps of western India, one of the previous abandoned theories. There have been several mass extinctions since the first multi-cellular organisms formed, but this one is by far the most controversial and debated one, which is why Keller has to work hard to remain in the debate. Keller's first community interaction was when she presented a rock sample from an area in Tunisia that has been considered one of the most accurate records of the extinction. When she examined these samples, she concluded that this extinction couldn't have happened instantaneously as the asteroid theory states, but over an era of death, at various rates. However, she received a lot of backlash as everyone supported Alvarez's theory. Keller and fellow paleontologists opposed the physicists ignored their data and called them "stamp collectors". Alvarez and his supporters didn't give room for people with alternate theories for the extinction (like Keller) a say, as it seems like the asteroid theory has taken over as the primary answer for this controversial debate. So, in search of evidence, the geologists went to a village in the center of the country to search for outcrops, or areas where erosion, construction, or tectonic activity had exposed the inner layers of rock formations, which they could use to decode the history of the landscape. Keller again found evidence of gradual extinction over 300,000 years, and not a sudden mass killing. She was also able to conclude that forams and other photosynthetic creatures lived for a long time even after the asteroid impacted Earth. Along with that, with samples from the crater, Keller was able to conclude that thousands of years had passed between the asteroid and the extinction. She started drafting a new paper which explained that the Deccan's most violent volcanic eruptions occurred in the last 60,000 years before the extinction, which caused so much gas, ash, and lava to spread around the world and kill the dinosaurs. In comparison, the Laki volcano in Iceland (which erupted in 1783 and killed off 20% of the human population and 60% of the livestock population) was relatively minor compared to just one of the thousands of Deccan eruptions over the course of 350,000 years. The Deccan volcanoes killed off microscopic creatures causing the food chain to fall apart, and caused sulfuric acid rain which increased the global temperature by about 46%. In conclusion, this article made me understand that there are always multiple theories to the cause of a phenomenon or event, and they all deserve chances to be explained. Also, I understood that if we keep pollution the atmosphere by burning fossil fuels, global warming can cause history to repeat itself and cause all life forms to go extinct.
This week’s article, “The Nastiest Feud in Science” opened my eyes to the other theories behind dinosaurs extinction. The article introduces the idea that a buildup of volcanic eruptions overtime killed dinosaurs off rather than the common belief that a asteroid killed them off all at once. Many people are so quick to try to kill off Keller's theory, but doing that only halts new ideas in the scientific field. No one is truly sure what happened...simply because nobody was around. Because we will never fully know the reasoning behind dinosaurs being extinct, I think it's important to be openminded towards more theories. I don't mean to expose my fascination with the idea of death but I think it's pretty cool how one day people will be debating about what killed us off. Kellers response to that idea was “Well, we were stupid and killed ourselves...you rule the world, and then you die.” Her response alone makes me want to pick her brain even further, her theories and ideas intrigue me so much.
When I first started reading the article "The Nastiest Feud in Science", I was shocked to see that there was a new theory about the events leading to the extinction of dinosaurs and many other species. I always knew that the first theory was that an asteroid hit the earth and wiped out 3 quarters of life, but I didn't know too much about the details of that either. Before the asteroid hypothesis, scientists proposed other causes for mass extinction, such as gluttony, protracted food poisoning, and even death by boredom. Then, Luis Alvarez and his colleagues made a major discovery. They found iridium deposited all over the world, at the same time creatures were dying in masses. This caused the hypothesis to form that an asteroid had crashed into the Earth, spewing iridium and pulverized rock dust around the globe and wiping out most life forms. Meanwhile, Gerta Keller wasn't buying any of it, claiming that it was a fairy tale. Keller argued that the mass extinction was caused by a series of colossal volcanic eruptions in a part of West India called the Deccan Traps. This theory was quickly rejected and abandoned by most researchers and scientists. Recently though, Keller's research has forced others to reconsider the possibility. Alvarez's theory was based on the fact that Earth could turn on its inhabitants at any time, and is shaped by sudden, violent events. Meanwhile, Keller believed that each event took place over a period of time. I am sure that over the course of hundreds and thousands of years, scientists will continue to find evidence to support their claims, until the day that they find evidence solid enough to prove their theory. Gerta Keller has most certainly started a scientific revolution with her theory, and I don't see it dying out anytime soon.
This weeks article was very interesting and informative. Written by Bianca Bosker, it highlights the ongoing debate about what really caused the demise and extinction of the dinosaurs. The author describes a trip she took to India with Gerta Keller, a paleontologist and geologist who currently teaches at Princeton University. For many years, kids have been taught that dinosaurs went extinct after a huge asteroid hit the Earth and killed all of them. Scientists such as Luis Alvarez have found proof of this theory (such as deposits of iridium found all over the world, a 111 mile cavity in Mexico that would match the size of an asteroid that could wipe out an entire species, and evidence of other mass extinctions) and most people around the world have come to accept this as true. However, Keller believes that the reason the dinosaurs died was not because of an asteroid, rather that it was a series of volcanic eruptions near the Deccan traps in West India. She believes that the explosion of these volcanoes (and the resulting gas, ash, and lava in the air) caused the slow and stretched out extinction of the dinosaurs. She describes this as a mass extinction, and also adds that we are in the middle of a very slow mass extinction ourselves. She believes that if she can prove her theory, we can prevent what happened to the dinosaurs from happening to us. The article also explains the five mass extinctions that have happened in the past. The first one (dated around 444 million years ago) wiped out around 86% of the oceans single celled organisms. The second mass extinction, which occurred around 372 million years ago, wiped out ¾ of the world's fish and four-legged amphibians. The third one (251 million years ago) killed off 96% of reptiles, plants, and insects. Finally, the last mass extinction (which occured 200 million years ago) killed off half of the remaining survivors. Overall, Keller believes she is close to proving her theory. Scientists around the world need to be more open to new ideas. This was an interesting read that showed me theories that opposed the existing theory that I had thought to believe was true.
Most people believe that the dinosaur extinction was due to an asteroid or an ice age. I too thought this was true, and was intrigued to find out why Keller thought the mass extinction was caused by a series of colossal volcanic eruptions in Western India. If this was true, wouldn’t there be evidence of damage to fossils found? Nonetheless, Keller’s theory adds to the large controversy thats answer could be applied to prevent similar catastrophic events in the future. Because of this it is important to continue asking questions and seeking evidence. Evidence that led Keller to her theory includes fossils that show a decline in dinosaurs before the asteroid would have struck suggesting one instance was not responsible for the extinction (a controversial claim). Additionally, Keller believes the asteroid hit 200,000 years before the total extinction. If volcanos, were responsible, that would require disruptions so close together that the Earth could not equilibrate the damage. The lava flows would have destroyed India and released toxic elements would spread around devastating Earth. Despite the bad side of ongoing arguments about what caused the mass extinction, the rivalry pushes scientists to keep looking for proof to support their theory.
Most scientists believe an asteroid that landed in Mexico destroyed all of the dinosaurs, called the Impact theory. However, that idea is still up for debate. There have been 5 mass extinctions, the most recent being about 66 million years ago. Extinctions tend to be gradual, which is just what Keller discovered when studying single called organisms. These organisms are called foraminifera. Including this study, it is evident that scientists reached opposing conclusions on the speed of the extinction and the cause of the extinction. Based on samples of the ground, Keller concluded that the asteroid had actually hit 200,000 years prior to the extinction. She documented immense lava flows from the Deccan Traos volcano, just before the extinction. The volcano erupted for about 750,000 years. Also the last 60,000 years were so bad that the Earth's ecosystem was completely destroyed. Therefore, the new theory is that continuous volcanic eruptions seem to be the cause of the mass extinction of dinosaurs. The constant rebutting and creation of new theories is what allows the science community to expand.
I found this week's article very interesting. Most people, including myself, think that dinosaurs became extinct because of giant steroid that struck earth, but this article challenges this theory. Most scientist believe the impact theory, which states that a giant asteroid struck earth, specifically the Yucatán Peninsula by the gulf of Mexico and wiped out about 3/4 of the earth. But a woman named Greta Keller proposed the Deccan volcanism theory. She thinks that series of volcanic eruptions are what caused the dinosaurs to slowly go into extinctions rather than it happening over night. when many other scientist hears this they began to ridicule her. But her theory also allowed the case to remain open. She attracted many other scientist to keep looking into her theory and not believe the impact theory. I think hat what she did is remarkable. Even though people didn't agree with her and made fun of her work, she continued doing what she wanted and was able to prove something incredible.
The article given this week, “The Nastiest Feud in Science”, written by Bianca Bosker, presented the interesting yet diverse perspectives on a catastrophe that occurred around 66 million years ago. This week's article was incredibly interesting to read because as a child, we were taught that the definite and only answer to the extinction of dinosaurs was the Alvarez theory. This theory states that the once living dinosaurs were exterminated when an asteroid larger than Mount Everest slammed into Earth with the force of around 1 million atomic bombs. It was said that the impact of this crash may have caused fierce tsunamis and suffocating darkness which led the dinosaurs to die out. However, before the asteroid hypothesis was presented, researchers had proposed other explanations as well, some such as gluttony, food poisoning and Paleo-weltschmerz. It was not until Luis Alvarez found iridium, an element that still lurks in our planet, that the hypothesis of the asteroid took hold. The iridium was calculated to be deposited at the same time the dinosaurs started to die out, which led scientists to conclude that the asteroid had spewed large amounts of iridium and wiped out most life forms on Earth. Other explanations were still out there but Alvarez made sure to verbally attack any who disagreed with his theory and therefore, many scientists such as Dewey McLean and Gerta Keller were always pushed aside and never given a chance to explain their perspective of this incident. By reading this article, I was able to understand that Alvarez’s theory might not be the actual story to what took place during the extinction. This fact amazed me and I truly feel that upcoming generations should be taught that Alvarez’s theory is just a possibility and not a guaranteed past. Future generations should have the chance to pick and choose sides they think explains this prehistoric catastrophe the best. A person I mentioned before, Dewey McLean, was a geologist who proposed the Deccan Volcanism theory, the theory that states that the extinction was caused by rather a series of colossal volcanic eruptions. It has been said that ash, toxic elements and gasses would have been released from these volcanic eruptions, therefore poisoning the creatures and their food supply. The sulphur released would have cooled the climate and then eventually would have drenched the Earth in acid rain. Carbon dioxide and methane would then heat up the Earth’s temperatures, destroying all sea life and vegetation, a food supply for many land animals. To add evidence to this theory, Keller had found healthy populations of foraminifera, single celled marine organisms, even after the asteroid hit. Not only that but photosynthetic organisms have also seemed to survive which is intriguing because these organisms cannot survive without sunlight. If the asteroid had struck, all sunlight would have been blocked by dust clouds. Both sides present amazing evidence to their theories but no one has still been able to give an exact answer to what really happened back then. We should learn from past mistakes and be careful this time around because if the Deccan theory is correct, it has been determined that the environmental reactions to the eruptions that caused the extinction are extremely similar to how our environment reacts to our man-made pollutants. As we read in an article before, if this continues, there is a good chance that humans many go extinct.
The article, "The Nastiest Feud In Science", opened my eyes to how big the dinosaur extinction discussion really is. I think that it's incredibly inspiring how the scientist Keller could keep supporting the Deccan Volcanism theory even after all the criticism and hate she constantly receives. Some scientists like Dewey McLean backed out of the discussion because they couldn't handle all the hate, but Keller stayed strong studying evidence to support Deccan Volcanism. For example, she believes that the impact theory is wrong because the actual extinction happened 200,000 years after the impact. Also every other mass extinction occurred due to volcanoes. An example of volcanoes causing mass destruction would be the Laki Volcano discussed in the article, it had caused mass death and habitat loss. Imagine that, but thousands of times worse, repeating for 350,000 years. This would spread toxins over the world killing many dinosaurs, also it would increase the temp of the world, killing off the bottom of the food chain. This is what leads to mass extinction, creating the Deccan Volcanism theory. Overall, I am inspired by Keller who keeps the dinosaur "wars" going so they can find the exact truth.
The most common theory that explains the extinction of dinosaurs is the impact theory. According to the impact theory, an asteroid landed in Mexico releasing an element called iridium which killed every life form at the time. However, scientist Greta Keller has a different theory. She believes that a series of volcanic eruptions in Western India called the Deccan Traps were responsible for the extinction of dinosaurs. There have been five mass extinctions; between each one, life on Earth would flourish only to decline once again. While Keller studied an organism called foraminifera, she learned that this species population had begun to decline 300,000 years before the asteroid hit Earth. This observation made her realize that such a drastic decline in population could not result suddenly from one event. In addition, no other mass extinction had been caused by an asteroid and samples on the ground showed that the asteroid had actually hit 200,000 years before the dinosaur extinction. Despite all her evidence and observations, many people still disagree with this theory. I actually think that the Deccan Volcanic eruptions can be a possible explanation for the extinction based on the information presented in the article. However, I would have to do more research and read more about the topic before I make an official stance.
As usual, the article posted for this week was incredibly captivating. “The Nastiest Feud in Science” focused primarily on two major differing theories of the cause of the fifth mass extinction. The impact theory states that an asteroid of remarkable size smashed into the Gulf of Mexico, causing violent earthquakes, tsunamis, and clouds of ash and dust to block out the sun and suffocate organisms, and leaving a 111-mile wide crater behind as evidence. This proposes a very swift chain of events rather than a gradual change. This theory was founded by renowned physicist Luis Alvarez in 1980, and has since come to be the most commonly accepted theory about the extinction of the dinosaurs. It is supported by a layer of iridium deposits, a rare material, along with other substances at the same level as many creatures going extinct. This is consistent with a meteorite impact. Deccan volcanism proposes that it was actually a series of volcanic eruptions on the Deccan Plateau of India in a span of a few hundred thousand years, causing a slow change over time, eventually causing a tipping point of extinction. The iridium deposits work with this theory as well, as iridium is found deep within the Earth. Recent dating has placed these eruptions to just before the extinction, and has found that the meteorite impacted too far before the extinction to have an effect like the one proposed. Released ash and toxic elements produced by the eruption would have poisoned the organisms and their food. The earth would have initially been cooled, before acid rains polluted the seas. Greenhouse gases would have raised temperatures, killing off oceans. This theory is far less supported, and is mainly kept afloat through the efforts of Princeton paleontology and geology professor Gerta Keller and her colleagues. The fights between these two groups have been ugly, with them often calling the other sides “unscientific,” and even turning to ad hominem attacks, with Keller herself being referred to as a “bitch,” among worse things. This behavior is shameful for scientists, men and women who have dedicated their lives to bettering humanity’s understanding of the world around it. Rather than making an effort to find the truth behind the event, these two groups have decided to religiously defend their own side of the argument without being open minded. This is no way for progress to be made. This is particularly important with this case, as the Deccan Volcanism theory is very similar to the events taking place currently. Volcanic eruptions release a lot of greenhouse gases, and would cause an effect similar to global warming. Perhaps seeing that something like this happened before would cause people to take global warming more seriously, and steps will finally be taken to secure our future.
The article “The Nastiest Feud in Science” by Bianca Bosker was fascinating. Ever since I was little, I always thought that dinosaurs went extinct because an asteroid, that was six miles wide, hit the Earth with the force of ten billion atomic bombs, and the impact caused their extinction. I was taught this at a very young age, and never doubted what I learned because evidence was there to back it up, As the article mentions, before the impact theory became the well-known reason for the extinction of dinosaurs, many possible conclusions were proposed. For example, gluttony, protracted food poisoning, terminal chastity, acute stupidity, and death by boredom were proposed. However, the asteroid hypothesis was uniquely backed up by a substance called iridium, causing other hypotheses to be cast to the side. Iridium is an element found in the bowels of planets, and it was found to be present at the same time as the time period of extinction for many species, according to the fossil record. It was then inferred by scientists that an asteroid did indeed hit the Earth, spilling iridium and causing the extinction of dinosaurs and other species. However, in 1978 a theory that the mass extinction was not caused by the impact of an asteroid but by rather colossal volcanic eruptions in Deccan Traps, a part of western India, was proposed. This proposal was abandoned when iridium was found and the asteroid hypothesis was supported by all, except a few. Currently, a scientist named Gerta Keller still argues that the mass extinction was caused by the colossal volcanic eruptions. Due to this, she faces a lot of backlash for going against the norm in addition to being a woman trying to make a name for herself. Despite her criticism, Keller continues to try to prove and support this hypothesis and disprove the impact theory. After uncovering some limestone and other sediments, she argued that thousands of years had passed in between the asteroid and extinction, but other scientists refuse to budge from the impact theory. It is important that the truth about what really happened is found. This is important because understanding what caused the extinction of all those life forms a long time ago can aid us in understanding how we came to be and help us comprehend how to prevent our own extinction. In order to do that, debates and feuds need to take place. Debates and feuds allows us to understand possible conclusions and obtain accurate information. Otherwise, the first proposed idea that seems remotely accurate would be accepted worldwide and fact and scientific theories would not be known today. The greatest theories today all had pressure and were hesitantly accepted. Someone had to look deeper. Someone had to look into things at an atomic level, at a cellular level, at genetics, and more. Keller is just being a scientist and whether she is right or not, the information she finds out will further aid us in understanding what truly happened that caused the mass extinction. It is people like Gerta Keller that inspire me to work harder towards what I believe in and not let the haters get to me. This article was especially interesting because it caused me to doubt what I thought I already knew from a child, and it motivated me to not let negativity bring me down from achieving my goals.
Regardless of all the evidence, many opposed Keller's theory. Both sides continue to argue and ignore the other's research. Perhaps the argument will lead to more precise data that reveals the true cause behind dinosaur extinction. Until then, we're left to wonder whether we may be in the sixth extinction. The volcanic pollution that occurred during the fifth extinction is eerily similar to air pollution caused by the burning of fossil fuels. As our climate continues to change, we may be closer to our end than we think. I believe this is an example of when we should learn from our past. The article states,"Keller fears that we are filling our environment with the same ingredients-sulfur, carbon dioxide, mercury, and more-that killed the dinosaurs and that, left unchecked, will catalyze another mass extinction, this one of our own devising." In the end, humanity will be its own demise.
This week's article was called "The Nastiest Feud in Science" by Bianca Bosker and was about two very different theories relating to how the fifth mass extinction occurred which happened about 66 million years ago. The two theories are the impact theory, which was formed by physicists Luis Alvarez in 1980, and a theory formed predominantly by scientist Greta Keller who said that a series of volcanic eruptions in Western India called the Deccan Traps were responsible for the extinction of dinosaurs. The impact theory states that the fifth mass extinction occurred from a six-mile-wide asteroid, larger than Mount Everest is tall, that slammed into our planet with the force of 10 billion atomic bombs. This formidable impact was the cause of many giant fireballs, crushing tsunamis, continent-shaking earthquakes, and clouds of ash and dust that blocked out the sun and suffocated organisms. A 111-mile wide crater on the Gulf of Mexico was strong evidence that supported the impact of a humongous asteroid crashing down to earth causing a chain reaction of various natural disasters. The scientists behind this theory also found iridium, which was a hard, silver-gray element that lurks in the bowels of planets, including ours, deposited all over the world near the same time that, according to the fossil record, masses of creatures and organisms were dying. Iridium fragments being found throughout the land also contributed evidence to this theory. On the other hand, Keller argues that the death of all these creatures did not happen rapidly or simultaneously, but over time so she disagreed with the impact theory and said that it was a series of volcanic eruptions near the Deccan traps in West India. She believes that the explosion of these volcanoes which resulted in gas, ash, and lava in the air caused the slow yet constant extinction of the dinosaurs. Additionally, she observed that no other mass extinction in the past had been caused by an asteroid and the fragments on the ground showed that the asteroid hit 200,000 years before the dinosaur extinction. Even though Keller's theory is not as supported as Alvarez's theory, I can find Deccan Volcanism being a realistic explanation to the extinction of dinosaurs, but the impact theory is still what the majority of people think was the cause of the extinction.
Reading this weeks article made me realize what’s great about science is that there is always something new to discover or research to be done. Often times we don’t question what we learn and rather accept it as a fact. Those who are able to take what they’ve learned and build upon those teachings, or even challenge those teachings, are those who are capable of expanding their mind. The beautiful thing about science is that we can explore different hypothesis’ through research. The author touches on this as they explain how scientist Keller has rejected the asteroid theory as the means of the last dinosaur extinction and has continued to pursue a new theory. This theory differing from the one most accept as true, explains the dinosaur extinction as a result of what is called the Deccan Traps. Unlike the astroid theory, this theory involves a series of volcanic eruptions. Keller first began to see holes in the astroid impact theory, which is a main contributor as to why she began to explore other explanations. For starters the population began to decline even before the final extinction of all species. Which would mean that something was already contributing to the extinction of dinosaurs far before they all completely were wiped out. According to Keller this could be explained by volcanic eruptions which would slowly cause all dinosaurs to go extinct. These eruptions called the Deccan traps, as noted before, occurred simultaneously with the final extinction of the dinosaurs. Keller went on to discover evidence in support of her theory such as things like fossils, climate change, and high levels of mercury that all indicate the Deccan traps had been active. Despite such evidence there were still those who expressed disagreement with this theory. Some attempt to use pieces of this theory to create new ones. After reading this article I mostly just find it fascinating that there are so many different explanations for the worlds greatest phenomenons. Trying to find answers and explore new hypothesis’ reflects our desire as human beings to become even more advanced then we already are.
The cause of the fifth mass extinction, dinosaurs is still a topic greatly debated today in the field of science. This weeks article, “ The Nastiest Fued in Science” shows this. Many people are brought up with the theory that dinosaurs went extinct because a large asteroid hit the earth, otherwise known as the impact theory developed by physicist Luis Alvarez. His theory is greatly recognized and supported by a layer of iridium deposits, along with other substances found at the same layer many of the creatures began to go extinct. This evidence helped him prove his theory since the deposits most probably were caused by meteor impact. On the other hand, professor Greta Keller and her colleagues are in full support of the Deccan volcanism theory. This theory proposes that sporadic volcanic eruptions, causing gradual change over time pushed towards extinction. Iridium is used as evidence to support this theory as well since is it found deep inside the earth. Recent dating has placed the volcanic eruptions before the exit it on and not during. Saying that the meteor had an impact before the extinction so it couldn’t have affected it on such a large scale. Supporters of the differing theories are still arguing with one another and haven’t found a way to come together and settle the debate.
This weeks article "The Nastiest Feud in Science" looked at very different theories on the topic of mass extinction of dinosaurs. The two major theories focused on were one from paleontology and geology professor Gerta Keller and another from physicist Luis Alvarez. The famous and uniformly accepted theory today was from Alvarez where he stated that an asteroid had crashed earth causing many different life forms to go into extinction one being dinosaurs. He supported this since he had found iridium all over the Earth the time dinosaurs went extinct and iridium could be found in asteroids. Additionally, later on a cavity called the "Crater of Doom" was found in Mexico and was identified as the location where the asteroid hit. This theory was a success and became widely accepted all over the world. However Keller didn't believe this, she thought all of it was just a story. Kellers theory was that this mass extinction was caused by a series of volcanic eruptions in the Deccan Traps located in West India. Overtime Keller found many new insights about dinosaur extinction through her research that didn't fit with Alvarez's theory. Keller's research led to a new step in an explanation for mass extinction.
The article this week was very informative and educational. It is about the opposing theories that two different scientists created to explain the extinction of dinosaurs. To begin with, the first theory, which is heavily supported by many other scientists, was created by Luis Alvarez in 1980. He proposed that a giant meteor collided with Earth, leaving behind a 111-mile wide crater. This is the most widely known theory regarding this theory. It is supported by the iridium deposits in several places that were there at the same time as the dinosaurs who were going extinct. This collision caused a lot of devastation, like tsunamis and earthquakes.
Gerta Keller, who is a geology professor and paleontologist at Princeton University, opposes this with a theory of her own. She believes the extinction of dinosaurs occurred due to a series of massive volcanic eruptions in the Deccan Traps of Western India. This is mostly rejected by many scientists, but Keller continues to find evidence to prove her theory even further. BY observing rock samples, she found out that the extinction could not have happened instantly, but rather over a larger time period at different rates. This was due to greenhouse gases and volcanic ash polluting the earth and killing the dinosaurs and their prey/food.The raising temperature due to the greenhouse gases also caused the oceans to dry up. Obviously, she received a lot of backlash for her ideas that she was presenting from other scientists and got called various degrading names. Opposing scientists did not accept other theories but rather kept a small mind, which is not how things should be done. Various ideas and theories should be accepted and understood before making a judgement. This is the only way to progress in order to find solutions to many of the mysteries we find ourselves stuck with currently. This topic still remains quite controversial, but hopefully one day we will all agree on one theory that proves how dinosaurs went extinct.
This week’s article, “The Nastiest Feud in Science” by Bianca Bosker is a riveting piece that makes one wonder about Earth’s past. The widely accepted theory is the “asteroid theory.”According to the Alvarez theory, dinosaurs went extinct when a six-mile-wide asteroid, which was larger than Mount Everest crashed into Earth with the force of 10 billion atomic bombs. The impact caused deathly tsunamis, colossal earthquakes, and killed all the species of dinosaurs. However, 73-year-old paleontology and geology professor at Princeton University, Gerta Keller does not believe this theory to be true. In fact, she believes that the mass extinction was caused by a series of massive volcanic eruptions in a part of western India known as the Deccan Traps. Her research may change the world’s perspective on the extinction of dinosaurs, and has opened the doors to more and more controversies; she has caused people to think twice and has also forced other scientists to take a second look at their data. The Alvarez theory was agreed on by the majority of scientists. Whoever disagreed with his theory was faced with verbal abuse, causing many scientists to stop researching. In fact, the insults actually encouraged Keller to keep going. After studying the El Kef samples, Keller saw that three hundred thousand years before the “asteroid” struck, some populations had already started to decline. She concluded that a single event could not have caused the population to go extinct, as the populations were already declining before the impact; around one-third of the population had vanished. In addition, Keller found healthy populations of forams west of the crater even after the asteroid struck. Photosynthetic organisms were also able to survive, even though there were dust clouds covering the sun. Lastly, the past four mass extinctions were not set off because of an impact. Based on samples of the ground, Keller discovered that the asteroid that had supposedly killed all the dinosaurs had actually hit 200,000 years before the extinction. This led her to look into volcanoes, as the first four extinctions were caused by volcanic eruptions. Keller found colossal lava flows from the Deccan Traps, right before the extinction. The volcano erupted for about 750,000 years. A similar volcano, Laki which erupted in 1783 led to acid rain which burned through leaves, blistered unprotected skin, and poisoned plants. More than sixty percent of Iceland’s livestock died within a year, along with more than twenty percent of its human population. However, Laki was a mere eruption compared to Deccan. A single Deccan eruption was “thousands of times larger” than Laki. Given what we know about Laki, it is clear that Deccan could definitely caused the dinosaur extinction. Even though Keller has vast amounts of evidence depicting the Deccan Traps caused the extinction, the majority of scientists still believe the Alvarez theory. In my opinion, I believe scientists such as Alvarez cannot shut others down for “power.” He or she needs to be open to new ideas and work together to find out the facts and the data.
The article "The Nastiest Feud in Science" by Bianca Bosker was very striking as it not only showed a new perspective to a well-known theory, it also showed the state of natures of the scientists behind them. Gerta Keller and three other geologists traveled to India to study the most recent mass extinction, the one famously known to cause the plight of the dinosaurs. It has been a common fact for a long time that the reason the dinosaurs went extinct was because of a powerful asteroid that hit Earth. This theory has been engraved into people's minds leaving little room for others. Keller however, wanted to prove this wrong. The man behind the asteroid theory was Luis Alvarez, he believed that when an asteroid hit it caused iridium to be spread killing many life forms. The fossil record confirmed his evidence of the iridium causing many to believe his theory was correct. The asteroid theory sparked imaginations and the Crater of Doom on the Yucatan Peninsula served as support to it. Keller thought that a series of volcanic eruptions in the Deccan Trap caused the extinctions, but was ridiculed for proposing such an idea. This was, however, a similarity between both scientists as even Alvarez's theory faced criticism at first. El kef samples which are often used as an intermediary for other creature's well-being showed that they were declining long before the "asteroid" hit and the rapidly vanished. Keller reached the conclusion that a single event can't cause this and was mocked for thinking so. Dewey McLean also believed in the theory of Deccan volcanism but was too scared to move forward with it over his fear for his career as Alvarez belittled him to his university. Alvarez's clout allowed him to discredit his opposition during the "dinosaur wars" In an interview with Time Magazine he said that paleontologists are more like stamp collectors and less like scientists. The theory of Deccan Volcanism is just as scientifically significant because the eruptions were closer in date to the extinction compared to the asteroid. The eruptions took place in the Deccan Plateau and resulted in slow/gradual changes. The eruptions would have first poisoned the organisms mainly through their food supply because of the release of toxic chemicals. These toxic chemicals include greenhouse gases which can cause an increase in global temperature. This can be seen in our modern day circumstances as we work to fight global warming. These scientists were correct in trying to determine the reason for the dinosaur's extinction, as understanding it helps us to prevent the end of human civilization as well. However, they were wrong in the way they approached trying to find these answers. They ridiculed each other, shut down their theories, and were very intolerant. Scientists need to be open-minded as we do not have the answers to everything but the only way we will know things is if we consider all the possibilities.
This week's article, “The Nastiest Feud in Science”, was highly enthralling and thought-provoking; it revolves around a theory conflicting with the impact theory, a theory that states that the ramming of a colossal asteroid into Earth caused iridium and rock dust to disseminate across its vast regions and kill most of its living entities. The impact theory was proposed by physicist Luis Alvarez who either attacked or dismissed any opposing theories. One such opposing theory, the theory of Deccan volcanism, is explored further in depth in the article “The Nastiest Feud in Science”. The theory of Deccan volcanism states that a series of immense volcanic eruptions in the Deccan Trap in western India led to the wiping of dinosaurs and countless other lifeforms off the face of the planet, or mass extinction. According to the theory, ash and virulent gases and elements discharged from the eruptions poisoned organisms and their food supplies; sulfur was also discharged and led to the pouring of acid rain which In turn tarnished marine life and the bodies of water fostering them. Gerta Keller, a paleontologist who supports the theory of Deccan volcanism, discovered 20 inches of sediment between traces of the asteroid that supposedly caused the extinction of the dinosaurs and traces of forams (shelled protists) around the time of their massive die-off. Because forams are known to have been part of the fifth mass extinction, or the extinction immediately succeeding four other mass extinctions in which all dinosaurs were wiped off the planet, Keller was able to reach the conclusion that the asteroid had hit 200,000 years too early for it to have caused the extinction of the dinosaurs as well over half the world's species. Keller hypothesized that the creatures that went extinct during the fifth mass extinction began to decrease in numbers gradually overtime until a final event or series of final events ultimately obliterated them all. Her first paper on Deccan volcanism in 2008 revealed her documentation of major flows of lava almost immediately before the extinction, serving as never-before-seen evidence that pointed to Deccan volcanism as the cause of the extinction. In a trip to the infamous Deccan Trap, Keller set out to prove what her findings strongly hinted: that the largest Deccan volcanic eruptions occurred in the 60,000 years preceding the fifth mass extinction. The amount of evidence presented in the article pointing to volcanic activity in the Deccan Trap as the obliterator of all dinosaurs and nearly the rest of the species inhabiting Earth left me in a state of complete awe and wonder. I myself had been narrow minded in my thinking, assuming that the asteroid was, once and for all, what had caused the fifth mass extinction. The article truly opened my eyes up and taught me one of the most important principles of the scientific community: to be open to different ideas. I was shocked as well as inspired by Keller's unwavering committment to the theory of Deccan volcanism. My favorite part about the reading was connecting the various facts and figures the author presented to enhance my understanding of how a series of volcanic eruptions almost annihilated all life on Earth.
This week’s article, “The Nastiest Feud in Science,” highlights one of the most important aspects of science: debate. Debate fuels further research and questioning which leads to more accurate results. This process can be seen in the evolution of the atomic theory from its earliest forms to the models we have today. However, this article focuses on the highly contested subject of the dinosaurs’ extinction. The article follows Gerta Keller, a proponent of volcanism, as she gathers evidence to support her theory of what happened. She opposes what we are all taught in school: that an asteroid struck the Earth and wiped out the dinosaurs in an instant. Keller proposes that the extinction was rather a slow buildup finished off by massive volcanic eruptions. Both sides prevent evidence and extensive research to support their arguments. In this debate however, the sides differ so drastically that there is little hope of them ever coming to common ground and uncovering the truth due to the extremely biased nature of the dispute. Although, there is no end in sight to this debate, many useful lessons can be learned from it and it is extremely valuable regardless. The debate illustrates the importance of peer review in making sure science is valid. The events and conditions the debate studies also holds some relevance for today. The volcanism theory claims that ash and other materials emitted from volcanic eruptions caused the mass extinction. These same materials are being emitted by humans at an increasing rate, and it is having the same effects scientists believe the eruptions had during the mass extinction event. This information is incredibly startling because it seems although we are moving towards a man made mass extinction event, one that will most likely be the end of us as well.
This week’s article, “The Nastiest Feud in Science” gave an intriguing viewpoint about the debate of the extinction of the dinosaurs. Since 1980, the theory of how dinosaurs became extinct was known as the impact theory. This theory states that a large asteroid hit the Earth, on the Yucatán Peninsula, and wiped out the dinosaurs. Since there was evidence that supported the theory, such as the discovery of iridium, it became widespread and “closed the mystery” on how the dinosaurs became extinct. However, Gerta Keller, a geology professor at Princeton University, didn’t agree with this theory and instead had her own hypothesis known as Deccan volcanism. She argued that a series of colossal volcanic eruptions in a part of western India known as the Deccan Traps was the cause of the mass extinction. Just like with the impact theory, there is supporting evidence for the Deccan volcanism theory. For instance, Keller studied the fossils of foraminiferas and found that that they gradually became extinct. This contradicts the impact theory, as it asserts that the mass extinction happened in the span of a few days. Since the impact theory was so popular and accepted, Keller received a lot of criticism for her theory. I was surprised when I found out how scientists can be brutal towards other scientists. For instance, she’s been called a gadfly as well as unethical, and supporters of the impact theory have even warned some of her collaborators not to work with her. However, Keller used the criticism as fuel to find more evidence to support her theory. I found this valuable, as it shows that you can’t give up when there’s obstacles thrown at you. Keller’s determination has gotten her more support for volcanoes theory, and to this day, she is still passionate about proving her hypothesis. The end of the article was very thought-provoking as it mentioned how we humans are fostering our own mass extinction with the burning of fossil fuels. This made me realize even more that we must be more aware of our actions and do a better job on taking care of our planet.
I enjoyed reading this week’s article about the different theories that talked about the mass extinction of dinosaurs. One of the theories is the impact theory, formed by Luis Alvarez in 1980. This theory states that an asteroid larger than Mount Everest hit Earth with the force of 10 billion atomic bombs that caused a huge amount of damage. It created many natural disasters that killed many of the living organisms at that time. Iridium, a hard, silver element also supported this theory. It was found in fossil records that it was on Earth during the time of many organisms dying. The second theory was made by Greta Keller. She argued that the death of all the organisms of that era happened over time. Her theory says a series of volcanic eruptions near the Deccan traps in West India caused the mass extinction. The explosion of the volcanoes meant that gas and ash were present in the air, and this caused the extinction of the dinosaurs gradually., Keller also says that no other mass extinction in the past was caused by an asteroid, and that there's evidence the asteroid hit before the dinosaur extinction happened. I personally believe both theories could be right, and that there is no sure way of knowing what truly happened that long ago. However because these theories contrast each other,they allow for future theories to advance and for people to continue learning to find out what truly occurred.
- Akshith Macherla
After reading this weeks article, “What Caused the Dinosaur Extinction,” by Bianca `Bosker, I came to the realization of how important different theories and ideas truly are in science. If it wasn’t for Dr. Keller, a very relevant and possibly true theory regarding the fifth mass extinction could have become completely unknown and forgotten and perhaps what may be the reality of what happened to the dinosaurs would have forever remained a mystery, if this new ‘Deccan’ theory turns out to be true! Ever since we were little, we’ve been taught in school that long ago the big, magnificent, creatures who once roamed the Earth were all wiped out by an asteroid (larger than Mt. Everest!) that had hit Earth at a startling rate (according to the article, “with the force of 10 billion atomic bombs”). Earth was immediately plunged into darkness- tsunamis crashed onto the shores of all the lands, violent earthquakes shook the Earth from its cores and almost all life was annihilated, including the dinosaurs who had lived in peace for almost 135 million years. This was taught to everyone as the impact theory. From the information that was given to us and ingrained into our brains, we never questioned this theory, we simply went along with it. However, just because we went along with it, doesn’t mean everyone else did as well. Dr. Keller introduced a theory in which she believed (based of evidence she and a few of those who agreed with her theory had collected) that the fifth mass extinction had occurred over time, gradually, and not right away with the crash of an asteroid. In this theory, some scientists/geologists believe that the main cause of the mass extinction was due to a repeated number of volcanic eruptions that had occurred in the Deccan Traps- a part of western India. Over the years, Dr. Keller has discovered many bits and pieces of evidence that have supported this theory. However, this theory is definitely the underdog as Dr. Keller hasn’t gotten much appreciation and approval for supporting this theory. Many derogatory and diminishing terms have been used against her because of her support for this theory. Claims have even been made against her, in which many scientists stated she wasn’t even a real scientist, and she didn’t know what she was talking about! However, after Dr. Keller talked about some of the reasons as to why she believes this theory (volcanic eruptions are the best explanation as they occurred over time, and there were early signs of a decline in the population amongst the flora, therefore supporting the fact that the mass extinction occurred gradually, not all of a sudden), I slowly started to understand her point and I began to even support it! However, I would definitely need more information to choose a side but this article really got me thinking and made me understand the importance of having two sides to every situation and how in science, almost anything can be possible with evidence! In the future, I’m sure many more debates will occur over this topic and I really look forward to figuring out which side ends up being accepted as the correct theory! This was most definitely one of my favorite articles out of all of the articles we’ve read so far!
The article we read this week “The Nastiest Feud in Science” was about finding the actual truth behind why dinosaurs went extinct. The asteroid-impact theory, that many of us learned in school, states that the dinosaurs were exterminated when a large asteroid, larger than Mount Everest, slammed into our planet. The impact unleashed fireballs, tsunamis, and earthquakes. Before the asteroid hypothesis, researchers proposed other bizarre explanations for the dinosaurs’ demise including: gluttony, food poisoning, chastity, stupidity,and even Paleo-weltschmerz or death by boredom. Despite all these theories, scientist Greta Keller had one of her own. This was that a series of volcanic eruptions in Western India, the Deccan Traps, were the primary cause of the extinction of dinosaurs. In the history of the planet, there have been five mass extinctions. It was almost like a cycle in between each one where life on Earth would alternate between thriving and declining. During her research, Keller studied an organism called foraminifera, and learned that this species's numbers had begun to decline far before the asteroid impact of the asteroid theory. This made her realize that one event couldn't have caused the mass extinction of dinosaurs. Moreover, Keller also found that the asteroid had actually hit 200,000 years before the dinosaur extinction. This means that it couldn't have been the source of their (dinosaurs) downfall. Keller's work really opened my eyes and changed my opinion of the conventional viewpoint that dinosaurs were wiped out by asteroids in a mass extinction. I hope to learn more about dinosaurs and am interested to see if there are any other theories regarding their demise. -Karan Nayak
Written by Bianca Bosker, “The Nastiest Feud in Sceience” presents new ideas and theories on the disaster that had occurred nearly 66 million years ago- the extinction of all dinosaur species. The most popular theory that is well known and taught to many students as of know is the Alvarez theory, which states that an asteroid larger than Mount Everest itself had once hit the Earth, causing powerful tsunamis and tons of debris to fly up and block out sunlight for a long time. This would have effectively killed off many plants, thus reducing the food source for the animals, causing them and atheist predators to die out. The tsunamis and other possible catastrophes like possible earthquakes from the impact of the asteroid would also have effectively wiped out many species of dinosaurs, both land and water. The asteroid theory was presented by Luis Alvarez, who had found iridium, which still resides in Earth. According to calculations, the iridium dated back to around the time of the extinction of dinosaurs, thus further proving the asteroid theory. It was then that the asteroid theory had anchored strongly as the reason for the extinction of dinosaurs, effectively pushing aside other theories like gluttony, food poisoning, starvation, and Paleoweltschmerz. The theories and other scientists were also put aside and not given a chance to present their views and evidence as a possibility because of verbal attacks. Theories of some scientists were not much paid attention to as well. For example, the Deccan Volcanism Theory, presented by Dewey McLean, stated that the dinosaur extinction could have been caused by a series of volcanic eruptions, causing ash, toxic elements, and harmful gases to be flung into the air. This would have resulted in the poisoning of food sources and species, cool the climate and cause acid rain (due to sulfur), and destroy sea life and vegetation from hearing of temperatures (CO2 and methane). To back this theory up, evidence found by another scientist, Keller, showed that some marine life survived, and plants using photosynthetic processes also survived, which they shouldn’t have been able to die to sunlight being blocked out of an asteroid had hit. Although the Alvarez theory is the most widely accepted theory on dinosaur extinction as of today, reading this article made me realize that although there are already theories present that are accepted, they may not be the exact thing. The Alvarez theory may not be the story behind the extinction of dinosaurs, and maybe the Decan theory is. I realized that the Alvarez theory should be taught alongside other possibilities because then future generations can continue to take sides and research, helping us get closer to the truth. On top of that, the Deccan theory presents a possibility of human extinction, due to the fact that the events described are similar to those of today. If other theories are brought to attention, then there would be more possibilities and open-mindedness in the future, thus helping us realize what our future may be, spurring action to be taken to help secure the future of humans.
Throughout the article titled “The Nastiest Feud in Science” it discusses how a princeton geologist has been mocked for arguing that the fifth extinction of the dinosaurs was caused by volcanoes and not an asteroid. The scientist traveled with a geology professor from princeton named Erta Keller to Hyderabad to hunt rocks. Keller was studying the annihilation or three quarters of the earth’s species for the past 30 years, one being the dinosaurs. When the two scientists arrived in Hyderabad they were welcomed by three other well known geologists. The goal of their trip was to find evidence to debunk the well known asteroid impact theory that contributed to the extinction of the dinosaurs. According to this theory there was a six mile wide asteroid that slammed down onto the planet with the force of 10 billion atomic bombs. This led to giant fireballs, crushing tsunamis, continent shaking earth quakes, and suffocating darkness. However, Keller doesn’t believe the theory at all and is convinced that it is nothing but a fairy tale. She argues that the extinction of the dinosaurs was caused by a series of colossal volcanic eruptions in the western past of India. Keller planned to spend a week gathering rocks in two different regions of India, beginning when the area around Basar, a dusty village of 5800 in the center of the country. The geologists were searching for outcrops, areas where erosion, construction, or tectonic formations, from which the scientists could decode the history of the landscape. Keller and her colleagues saw the landscape in greater relief than most: When explaining how volcanoes extrude magma from the planet’s inner mantle. Keller’s publication list runs to more than 250 articles, about half of which attempt to poke holes in the impact theory. After her 1988 paper on forams in Tunisia, she decided to see whether the slow and steady extinction pattern she’d observed at El Kef held true elsewhere, and she analyzed foram populations pre- and post-Chicxulub at nearly 300 sites around the world. Over and over, Keller saw “no evidence of a sudden mass killing.” Instead, she found more proof that the Earth’s fauna grew progressively more distressed starting 300,000 years before the extinction. The forams, for example, gradually shrank, declined in number, and showed less diversity, until only a handful of species remained—results consistent with what many paleontologists have observed for animals on land during the same time. There was the issue of the four previous mass extinctions. None appeared to have been triggered by an impact, although numerous other asteroids have pummeled our planet over the millennia. Until the mid-1980s, geologists believed that Deccan’s network of volcanoes had erupted over millions of years, simmering so gently as to be mostly harmless. A 1986 paper concluded that the bulk of its eruptions had occurred within 1 million years, but scientists still couldn’t connect those explosions to the mass dying. Keller’s first paper on Deccan volcanism, in 2008, provided unprecedented evidence that suggested there could be a link. On this excursion, Keller hoped to gather samples that would allow her to create a detailed timeline of Deccan activity in the 100,000 years leading up to the extinction. The asteroid theory has ingrained in the public’s imagination the idea that mass extinction will be quick and sensational—that we will go out in a great, momentous ball of fire. Big rock from sky hits the humans, and boom they go. But Keller’s vision of the sixth extinction, given what she sees as its parallels with Deccan volcanism, suggests that the end will be drawn out and difficult to recognize as such within humans’ brief conception of time. I believe that Keller’s research was very important because if scientists never challenged ideas that were well accepted by the public, then there would be no extension of knowledge and there would never be any advancements in science.
Dinosaurs have always captured the minds of people of all ages, ranging from 5 to 85. Thousands of people visit museums solely to see the massive creatures that once walked the earth, and have even made world-known movies over the matter. In elementary school, many are taught about these mysterious animals, and more particularly, how they went extinct- a giant flaming ball, more properly known as the Alverez theory. In this situation, an asteroid hit Earth, leaving giant tsunamis, volcanic eruptions, and a 111-mile wide cavity near Chicxulub, named "the Crater of Doom". Additionally, scientists found iridium, an element typically found in the bowels of planets, in the same levels as the dinosaur fossils. This piece of evidence then solidified their argument. Before this article, I thought that this was the only possible way the dinosaurs could have gone extinct, as it made sense. However, this article began to open eyes on how there are possibly, and more probable ways the dinos could have gone extinct- not just a bad weekend. Keller calls for a different process that caused the dinosaurs to go extinct, using previous proven examples to help her case. For example, the article states that there were four previous mass extinctions, which were not caused by an impact of an asteroid, although many claim that the asteroid caused the extinction because of its size and location. However, what really drove home was the next piece of evidence Keller gave, a gray area. While the size of the asteroid might have been deadly, and the location, landing in shallow waters, could cause some climate-altering vaporized rock, the TIME was suspicious, according to Keller. Immediately going after this detail, Keller uncovered 20 inches of limestone and another sediment between the iridium and the fossils of the creatures we all know and love. Putting this into numbers, Keller soon found that the crater was formed "200,000 years before the mass extinction, far too early to have caused it." With this information, Keller began to look for the true killer of the dinosaurs, her main suspect being a volcano on the outskirts of India, the Deccan. For a volcano to cause a great extinction of this size, it not only has to be giant but also must erupt a myriad of times, in a short amount of time. This is because the earth can recover from a single eruption, but may be overwhelmed by a vast amount. Keller found this to be occurring at the same time as the extinction. Keller and her team began to find more and more evidence that the Deccan eruptions were lethal, and deadly, especially in the last 40,000 years. While the Alverez theory might have been convincing, due to the crater and the iridium found in the soil, with this new article I have begun to question how the dinosaurs truly died, and how can we take this into prepping for the unknown future? This article really interested me, as the famous quote, history repeats itself, is prevalent throughout. With this new information, we can hopefully take it into account, and delay human extinction even longer!
In the article, "The Nastiest Feud in Science," the author, Denise Nester, travels to India with a scientist names Gerta Keller. Gerta Keller sought to travel on this expedition to Hyderabad, India in order to discover the true reason for why dinosaurs notoriously disappeared 66 million years ago. Something I found interesting about Keller was that she refuted the original consensus for why dinosaurs became extinct, which was the Asteroid- impact theory. The asteroid theory claimed that an asteroid struck Earth in the Mexican town of Chicxulub, on the Yucatán Peninsula, bringing with it, fireballs, along with causing vast tsunamis, earthquakes, and suffocating darkness, along with iridium- a chemical causing death. I also found it hysterical how some people believed that the extinction was a result of gluttony, protracted food poisoning, terminal chastity, acute stupidity, and Paleo-weltschmerz, death by boredom because those theories sound unfounded and insufficient. The asteroid theory is the one that everyone believes and is the most popular, but Keller disagreed. Keller believed that the asteroid theory was a "fairytale" and that the true cause were volcanic eruptions within the Deccan Traps. Keller sought to prove this by traveling to India. As evidence, she presented a rock section in El Kef, Tunisia, and since these fossils are plentiful and well preserved, paleontologists can trace their extinction patterns with accuracy. She learned that three hundred thousand years before Alvarez’s asteroid struck, some single-celled marine organisms called foraminifera populations had already started to decline as they had become less and less strong until, rapidly, about a third of them vanished. By doing more fieldwork, Keller discovered 20 inches of limestone and other sediment between the fallout from the asteroid and the forams. Based on similar results from Haiti, Texas, and other places in Mexico, Keller concluded that the asteroid had hit 200,000 years before the extinction, too early to have been the cause of extinction. I found the “Dinosaur Wars” to be very interesting being that Keller was going against the common thought, and was willing to argue for the unpopular theory which is crucial in science because it allows controversies to spur improvements and deepen the understanding of life on Earth.
This weeks assignment really opened my eyes open to different ideas and theories on topics that are such cut and dry theories today. The extinction of dinosaurs was always taught to us as "a big rock came from the sky, hit the earth, and boom." In the article this week, "The Nastiest Feud in Science" Greata Keller brought of another reason why the dinosaurs went extinct. She believed that a colossal volcano erupted in a part of western India known as the Deccan Traps instead of the asteroid theory. There is supporting details to this theory such as, the extinction happened over the time span of a few days. The impact theory is that it all happened instantly. Keller believed the impact theory was incorrect, resulting in her getting many comments and criticism about her theory. Some told others to not work with Keller because she is unethical. Keller turned the negativity into motivation to defend her theory and prove others wrong. Keller's determination is very admirable and and I have much respect for her and her hard work despite others kicking her down. The most interesting part to the article to me is the ending when it was mentioned that humans are single-handedly creating the extinction of man kind by burning fossil fuels. This statement brought me into reality and how much we have hurt earth and how if we continue as we do, earth will start all over. We need to take responsibility and do something about saving the earth and saving the place we cherish for generations to come.
This week I read the article, "The Nastiest Feud in Science," which argued the theories explaining the dinosaur extinction. The general theory that we grew up hearing, the impact theory, consisted of a single, massive asteroid being held responsible for this mass extinction. This simple explanation provided by Luis Alvarez seemed to clear up all confusion surrounding dinosaurs disappearing. In the 1980s, Alvarez and his team discovered iridium, a silver element that is found on numerous planets, deposited all over Earth dating back to when the extinction occurred, according to fossil record. An asteroid, bigger than Mount Everest, smashed into the Earth with force that ensued earthquakes, tsunamis, etc. Many have been afraid to question the impact theory due to hard criticism by other scientists and Alvarez. Although, Gerta Keller was brave enough to research and find evidence proving the impact theory false. Contrary to Alvarez's beliefs, Keller linked the mass extinction of dinosaurs to a series of massive volcanic eruptions in the Deccan Traps in India. Gerta's breakthrough caused major controversy because her theory disagreed with the popular opinion of most. This theory of Deccan volcanism blames the range of volcanoes for polluting the air with smoke to the point where it was unbearable for most species, including dinosaurs. The Earth's atmosphere couldn't diffuse the smoke buildup due to the continuous eruptions. Keller continued her research by discovering lava flows embedded in the fossil record when dinosaurs began dying out. By studying samples from deep within the Chicxulub crater, Keller concluded that the asteroid had hit Earth 200,000 years before the extinction. She compared the impact of smaller eruptions like Iceland's Laki volcano which caused mass death, smog, and many plants dying out. If such a small eruption could do this much damage, imagine the consequences of the Deccan Traps' volcanoes erupting. Gerta Keller's groundbreaking Deccan volcanism theory tests how believable Luis Alvarez's impact theory really is. Maybe one day we will get closer to the truth of why dinosaurs went extinct so suddenly. Unfortunately, for now, the world is at dispute about the mass extinction of dinosaurs.
In the "Nastiest Feud in Science" it shows the point of view of a geologist from Princeton University who joins with Gerta Keller who was a geology and paleontology professor in Princeton as well. I enjoyed learning the process of how researchers go through the process of proving a theory. Everyone in school was taught about how the massive asteroid had killed off the dinosaur race into extinction. This theory is known as the Alvarez theory formed by Luis Alvarez. This theory was proven due to the iridium which is a hard silver-grey element found all around the world from the asteroid. The impact caused giant fireballs, crushing tsunamis, continent shaking earthquakes and suffocating darkness which was considered the "Testament of Hell." Researchers had calculated that the iridium had dated back to the same time as the dinosaur extinction. Gerta Keller though did not believe in this theory. She believed in the "Deccan theory" which is the extinction of dinosaurs through a series of colossal volcanic eruptions. If the theory was true, alot of research would have to be done in order for it to be proven. Also, convincing people that one of the things they've learned in school was false which is difficult. The article also stated about how multicellular creatures were created and almost annihilated in the extinction. It also stated that according to the Alvarez theory, the Earth was created and became the way it was through catastrophic sudden violent events. Many scientists had disapproved of Keller and her abnormal theories. They constantly called her named and immediately turned down her ideas. This article had made very interested in the topic of dinosaur extinction. It had changed my point of view on the topic when I originally thought that the dinosaur extinction was caused by the enormous asteroid. Now i have realized that there are other possibilities for this controversy
This week’s topic described the different theories in which the dinosaurs may have turned extinct and proposed different ideas other than the asteroid theory. The theory may have seemed to be plausible considered that the amount of atomic energy turned the earth into an ice age but Keller didn’t accept the theory as widely as others. Keller had believed that there were a numerous amount of volcanic eruptions happening around India which may have caused the extinction of these prehistoric beasts. But thinking differently from a widely agreed phenomenon had caused wide ridicule within the science community. Keller had examined El Kef samples and they had proved they were degrading a couple hundred thousands of years before the impact of an actual asteroid. This evidence proved that the extinction of the dinosaurs may have not been from an instantaneous event such as an asteroid which caused the beginning of Keller’s ridicule. Keller had later found evidence within the crater of Chichxulub that the asteroid had hit 200000 years before the actual extinction of the dinosaurs which then makes doesn’t validate the asteroid theory. Keller had then found an association with mass extinction and volcanic eruptions which may have been the catalyst in the death of the dinosaurs. By examining rock samples, Keller was able to relate the past, present, and future by examining the different chemical content in the samples. This is a breakthrough in the era of science in that it provides a different alternative of a widely accepted theory.
“ The Nastiest Feud in Science “ by Bianca Bosker was an astonishing piece that truly made me question the mysteries of Earth. This article introduced the idea that the disappearance of dinosaurs is still a controversial debate that has been going on for a long time. The theory that was ( and currently is ) popular and believable was known as the Impact Theory. Created by physicist Luis Alvarez in 1980, the theory stated the dinosaurs were destroyed when an asteroid hit the Earth, and was linked to a numerous amount of natural disasters, such as the Ice Age. The evidence that proved this act to be the reason of the dinosaurs’ disappearance was when Alvarez and other scientists found traces of iridium all over the world the same time the dinosaurs were on the verge of dying. While this theory was what we have all been taught to believe, one geologist at Princeton University thought in a different perspective. Gerta Keller did not believe in the impact theory. She believed in a new theory, the Deccan Volcanism theory. This abandoned theory, on the other hand, believes that colossal volcanic eruptions in the Deccan Traps in the western region of India, were the reason why the dinosaurs suddenly vanished. After viewing the El Kef samples, Keller knew one event could not possibly cause the extinction, so she found her own evidence to prove her point. Keller ended up finding healthy populations of foram and photosynthetic organisms near the location of the asteroid crash. Keller also relied on the volcanoes themselves, since previous extinctions were likely to be initiated by eruptions. She discovered that the Deccan Traps erupted even before the extinction occurred. With these pieces of information, it is evident that the Deccan Traps were the main cause of of the dinosaurs vanishing. Even though many scientists still side with the Alvarez theory, Marta’s theory could eventually help to prevent extinction from occurring again.
Many us of fall prey to accepting information as facts without ever questioning just how true that information is. This case of the dinosaurs cause of extinction is one such instance. The idea that an asteroid slammed into Earth and subsequently caused the extinction of dinosaurs has been a widely accepted fact, even something's thats been taught to us in schools from an early age. However, because of this, many of us don't go on to question this theory or even seek out other explanations. The truth is that the cause of the dinosaur's extinction is a long-standing controversial debate in the science world. Among the presented theories are the Impact Theory, that an asteroid is to blame, and the lesser recognized and often put down theory of Volcanoes being the culprit that caused the 5th mass extinction. In this article, "What Caused the Dinosaur Extinction," author Bianca Bosker dwells into the geologist Gerta Keller and her journey to prove the Volcano theory. Keller is adamant in her opinion that a series of volcanic eruptions in the Deccan Traps caused the dinosaur extinction. With this theory, she has also dug up evidence to prove this event. Keller studies the fossils of single-celled organisms called forams, which she uses to trace the extinction patterns of other organisms with great accuracy. While studying her samples, Keller noticed how population declines did not take place all at once with which this asteroid theory would be consistent with, but they had rather a gradual decline over hundreds of thousands of years. Keller has also found evidence to suggest that an asteroid hit about 200,000 years before the extinction. This all goes to disprove the Impact Theory which is what caused Keller to look into what else could have caused this mass extinction, leading her to the Volcano Theory. In the end, there is much more research that has to be done and as of now this topic will remain controversial and touchy. Keller's theory should still be recognized because even if it is not widely believed, it still provides scientific finding and research that can further what we know and might even be helpful in helping us understand how we can prevent another extinction, and maybe a man-made one this time.
In this reading, Erta Geller and were traveling to Mumbai to research the catastrophe that annihilated 3/4 of the Earth’s species, including the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. She was looking for fresh evidence that would invalidate the asteroid-impact theory that we all learned about in school. Luis Alvarez and three colleagues found iridium deposited all over the world, and according to the fossil record at the same time. Alvarez’s theory gained traction and publicity in a short amount of time. The Crater of Doom was a 111 mile wide cavity in the Yucatán Peninsula. Researchers labeled it as the spot where the asteroid punched the earth. Quickly, textbooks and museums updated that the asteroid was the blame of the destruction of the dinosaurs. Keller’s theory on this was quite different. She believes that the mass extinction was due to a series of volcanic eruptions in India (Deccan Traps). All in all, the case is not closed.
After reading this article, I definitely have adulation for Keller. She could have easily adhered to the asteroid theory, but instead went against the grain because she thought it was wrong. Even though volcano series doesn’t sound as cool as an asteroid punching the earth, she believes it’s what really happened. If everyone took the easy way like she didn’t, we would still be stuck centuries behind what we have now. I admire Keller and I would like to take her determination into my personal life.
The article, “The Nastiest Feud in Science”, by Bianca Bosker is about finding what really happened to the dinosaurs in the fifth extinction. Keller, a 73-year-old paleontologist went to Mumbai to find out the truth about the mass extinction. Keller did not believe the widely accepted theory of a giant asteroid crashing earth and eliminating all dinosaurs. Instead, she had her own theory. In the journal Science, there was proof that scientists found iridium scattered all over the earth during the same time as the mass extinction. This lead to the hypothesis that an asteroid had crashed into the Earth, spewing iridium around the globe and killing most life on Earth. Scientists believed that this massive asteroid struck the earth in Mexico. This theory is known as the impact theory. Keller, on the other hand said "a series of colossal volcanic eruptions in a part of western India known as the Deccan Traps." A majority of the scientists disagree with her, but she is determined to prove her point. This is an ongoing debate and will continue to be pondered upon for years to come.
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