December 1, 2015

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How Dinosaurs Got Their Start--and Met Their End [Video]

The only thing more remarkable than the ascent of these amazing beasts is their downfall

By Kate Wong

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In the December Scientific American paleontologist Stephen Brusatte of the University of Edinburgh delves into one of the greatest scientific mysteries of all time: the extinction of the dinosaurs. In an attempt to solve it he and his colleagues analyzed all the latest evidence using cutting-edge techniques. What they found may surprise you. (Hint: the famous asteroid impact played a role, but it’s not the whole story.) To learn more about the rise and fall of the dinosaurs, check out Brusatte’s lecture in the video below.

Kate Wong is an award-winning science writer and senior editor for features at Scientific American, where she has focused on evolution, ecology, anthropology, archaeology, paleontology and animal behavior. She is fascinated by human origins, which she has covered for nearly 30 years. Recently she has become obsessed with birds. Her reporting has taken her to caves in France and Croatia that Neandertals once called home to the shores of Kenya’s Lake Turkana in search of the oldest stone tools in the world, as well as to Madagascar on an expedition to unearth ancient mammals and dinosaurs, the icy waters of Antarctica, where humpback whales feast on krill, and a “Big Day” race around the state of Connecticut to find as many bird species as possible in 24 hours. Wong is co-author, with Donald Johanson, of Lucy’s Legacy: The Quest for Human Origins. She holds a bachelor of science degree in biological anthropology and zoology from the University of Michigan. Follow her on Bluesky @katewong.bsky.social

More by Kate Wong
Scientific American Magazine Vol 313 Issue 6This article was published with the title “How Dinosaurs Got Their Start—and Met Their End [Video]” in Scientific American Magazine Vol. 313 No. 6 ()
doi:10.1038/scientificamerican122015-37utYT37beGqVLFX32TGgF
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