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Comet, Not Asteroid,
Wiped Out Dinosaurs

study says

Mar 23, 2013 6:51 AM CDT

Comet, Not Asteroid, Wiped Out Dinosaurs

Scientists tweak theory on what slammed into Earth

(Newser) - Scientists still think a space rock slammed into Earth 65 million years ago in a catastrophic collision that wiped out the dinosaurs and most other species. But a new theory presented this week suggests that the space rock was a speedy comet, not a hulking asteroid as previously believed, reports...

'Trillions of Carats':
Russia Sitting on
Diamond Trove

Sep 17, 2012 11:40 AM CDT

'Trillions of Carats': Russia Sitting on Diamond Trove

Can supply world for 3K years

(Newser) - Russia is now a girl's best friend: A 62-mile-wide crater in Siberia sits on top of a diamond field that's home to "trillions of carats," scientists say. "By comparison, present-day known reserves" in Russia's Yakutia diamond operations are thought to be in the neighborhood...

Oldest Impact Crater
Found in Greenland

Jun 29, 2012 4:53 PM CDT

Oldest Impact Crater Found in Greenland

Meteorite probably smashed down about 3B years ago

(Newser) - Scientists have uncovered what might be the oldest meteorite crater on Earth. Located in Greenland, it's about 62 miles wide and was likely formed 3 billion years ago when a 19-mile-wide meteorite collided with our planet, reports Space.com . Today, an impact that size likely would wipe out humans....

Thousands-of-Years-Long
Meteor Shower Killed Dinos

Aug 30, 2010 6:23 AM CDT

Thousands-of-Years-Long Meteor Shower Killed Dinos

Study: There were many meteor strikes, not one

(Newser) - Some scientists believe a single meteor strike in the Gulf of Mexico doomed the dinosaurs, but new research suggests that the dinosaurs may have been wiped out by a meteor shower that lasted thousands of years, finds the Telegraph . A recent study of a crater in Ukraine, which dates much,...

Seabed 'Fried Egg'
May Be Impact Crater

Dec 18, 2009 4:16 AM CST

Seabed 'Fried Egg' May Be Impact Crater

Scientists believe meteor caused odd formation

(Newser) - Portuguese scientists mapping the Atlantic Ocean seabed believe a strange formation they have discovered may be one of the very few undersea impact craters ever found. The depression—dubbed the "Fried Egg" because of its shape—is roughly 4 miles wide with a central dome. The researchers believe it...

Moon Rocks Still Giving Up Gritty Secrets

Jul 8, 2008 6:00 AM CDT

Moon Rocks Still Giving Up Gritty Secrets

Lunar rocks have helped unlock secrets of solar system, demise of dinosaurs

(Newser) - Almost 40 years after Apollo astronauts brought samples of the moon back to Earth, the extraterrestrial rocks are still yielding new information, the New York Times reports. In addition to attention from the Johnson Space Center, where they reside, samples are mailed out—on loan only, and usually less than...

Odds of Cataclysmic Space-Rock Crash: 1 in 10

May 25, 2008 6:19 AM CDT

Odds of Cataclysmic Space-Rock Crash: 1 in 10

Despite danger, NASA doing little to protect planet

(Newser) - Chicken Little may have been smarter than we thought. A growing body of evidence reveals that the sky is falling, or at least gigantic space rocks are—and the Earth is at far greater risk of a catastrophic strike than previously thought, reports Atlantic. Despite the danger—an impact could...

Mercury 'Spider Crater' Spotted

Jan 31, 2008 10:19 AM CST

Mercury 'Spider Crater' Spotted

Probe reveals never-before-seen side of Mercury

(Newser) - NASA's first probe to Mercury in more than 30 years has made some spectacular finds, including a mysterious new crater dubbed "the spider," Space.com reports. The network of cracks radiating from the impact crater photographed by the probe is like nothing else ever seen in the solar...