Asteroid or comet impact caused extinction during last ice-age: Study | Technology News, The Indian Express

Asteroid or comet impact caused extinction during last ice-age: Study | Technology News, The Indian Express

By PTI |Washington |Published: October 26, 2019 4:07:33 pm

Asteroid or comet impact caused extinction during last ice-age: Study

A study, published in the journal Scientific noted that an asteroid or a comet hit the Earth, or blew up in the atmosphere 12,800 years ago, causing a period of extreme cooling that may have led to the extinction of more than 35 species including giant sloths, sabre-tooth cats, and mammoths.

Researchers, including those from the University of South Carolina (UofSC) in the US, found further evidence of a cosmic impact based on research done at White Pond near Elgin in the US. (Representational image, source: Getty/ Thinkstock)

Researchers have found further evidence supporting the theory that an extraterrestrial body such as an asteroid or a comet may have crashed into the Earth almost 13,000 years ago, and caused the extinction of many large animals, and a likely decline in early human population.