The internet just learned how the dinosaurs went extinct

No, the asteroid didn't kill them all on impact.
 By 
Tim Marcin
 on 
illustration of a t rex and an asteroid
The internet needs some science lessons. Credit: Getty Images / MARK GARLICK / SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARY

The internet got to talking about dinosaurs and, frankly, I wonder what a lot of folks were doing during science class as children.

It all started with a tweet — erm, X post, rather — from the user @latkedelrey. They posted: "did you guys know a lot of people think the asteroid wiped the dinosaurs out by like. hitting them all at once."

Now, of course, the mass extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago was not an asteroid that somehow killed every dinosaur on impact. As the theory goes, there was a massive impact and blast wave — which sent tons of debris and soot in the air. That reduced the amount of light that could reach Earth, which destroyed massive amounts of plant growth, and resulted in devastation to the food chain.


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Honestly, if you had just watched The Land Before Time you might have a good idea that this is what happened. Apparently, lots of folks missed that movie.

The responses to the original post walked through all kinds of theories and misunderstandings. It seemed to be a collective moment for lots of people who just accepted that "an asteroid killed the dinosaurs" and moved on. It was also an opportunity for lots of jokes.

There was this certain type of Christian take on things.

There was this heat-seeking missile joke.

Or the idea that you could just...side-step extinction. In other words, the "built different" defense.

The concert theory is a personal fave.

Honestly, these comments seem to just be the truth for a lot of people.

There was a mix of jokes, weird comments, and people being flabbergasted to learn that the dinosaurs didn't literally all die from the impact of an asteroid. In other words, it's just another day on the internet.

Topics X/Twitter

close-up of man's face
Tim Marcin
Associate Editor, Culture

Tim Marcin is an Associate Editor on the culture team at Mashable, where he mostly digs into the weird parts of the internet. You'll also see some coverage of memes, tech, sports, trends, and the occasional hot take. You can find him on Bluesky (sometimes), Instagram (infrequently), or eating Buffalo wings (as often as possible).

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