Dinosaur killing asteroid formed Amazon forests: Study

Dinosaurs ruled the Earth millions of years ago. On land, in water and even in sky, there was at least one dinosaur, or a distant relative ruling the food chains.

Then an asteroid struck Earth 66 million years ago and hell broke loose. Dominance of Dinosaurs ended along with 75 per cent of plants and animals. This paved way for mammals and then humans to be dominant.

But now researchers are saying that the catastrophic asteroid impact was responsible for formation of Amazon rainforests as they are now. The asteroid had struck near Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, close to Amazon rainforests.

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We know that Amazon rainforests are extremely important for global ecosystem.

A research paper titled 'Extinction at the end-Cretaceous and the origin of modern Neotropical rainforests' produces result of analysis of thousands of fossils of pollen, spores and leaves. These fossils are 50 to 70 million years old.

The study has concluded that the asteroid impact has a huge effect on how tropical rainforest developed. One of the authors of the paper has been even quoted as saying the impact changed the "ecological and evolutionary trajectory" of these forests. The study has been published in the journal 'Science'

It's true what they say, life battles on even in the face of catastrophe.