Boomas of mammals alien to dinosaurs

2007/05/01 Elhuyar Zientzia Iturria: Elhuyar aldizkaria

• Eboluzioa
• Genetika
• Paleontologia
• Arkeologia

Many times it is said that the mammals proliferated thanks to the great disappearance of the dinosaurs, that is, they somehow occupied the place yielded some sixty-five million years ago. But it wasn't really like that. According to a study by researchers at the Technical University of Munich, the greatest diversification of mammals occurred much later than the disappearance of dinosaurs.

Researchers have used fossil data and DNA studies to know when mammals were diversified. And they have seen that they were diversified especially in two eras: eighty-five million years ago (the dinosaurs still lived) and fifty million years ago (the dinosaurs disappeared and, therefore, many). The latter was the most prosperous time of diversification of mammals, probably due to the significant warming that occurred in the climate of the Earth (in some places the average temperature increased by about 7ºC).

They say the results of the research are not exhaustive, but serve at least to reach the main conclusion that the disappearance of dinosaurs did not provoke the mammal boom.