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Monday, September 28, 2026 · UTC
Asteroids & Planetary Defense

Two separate findings bracket the asteroid impact that ended the dinosaur age

Genetic and fossil records published this week date events either side of the 66 million year old impact boundary

Caleb Mbeki
Planetary Science Reporter
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Scientists study clues to asteroid impact that ended dinosaur age
Scientists study clues to asteroid impact that ended dinosaur age AI illustrationhow this picture was made
Two unrelated research findings published this week fall on either side of the asteroid impact that ended the age of dinosaurs. Genetic analysis has found independent bursts of activity in ancestral ant DNA occurring approximately 66 million years ago, shortly after the impact took place [1]. Separately, fossil track sites have been dated to 66.5 million years ago. This places the tracks shortly before the same impact event [2].
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  1. Researchers identified independent bursts of transposable element activity in ant ancestors approximately 66 million years ago, shortly after the asteroid impact that ended the age of the dinosaurs. · Phys.org
  2. The site dates back 66.5 million years, meaning the tracks were made shortly before the asteroid impact believed to have ended the age of dinosaurs. · The IndependentUnited Kingdom
The one we could place publishes from United Kingdom. 1 could not be placed by their address. None is an official body: that part stands on reporting, not on the underlying document or transcript.