A groundbreaking study suggests that dinosaurs might exist currently on other planets. A recent study published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society Journal, argues that there is a possibility of some dinosaur-like species on other planets far away from the Earth.
A new study published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society suggests that dinosaurs might exist on other planets. The study argues that there could be dinosaur-like species on planets far away from Earth. The study also suggests that humans might be able to find these species.
However, there is no scientific evidence that any non-avian dinosaurs are still alive. These dinosaurs, such as the Tyrannosaurus, Velociraptor, Apatosaurus, Stegosaurus, and Triceratops, became extinct at least 65 million years ago.
Some creatures that have retained characteristics reminiscent of the dinosaur era are often referred to as “living fossils”. These beings have remained relatively unchanged for millions of years.
Dinosaurs are a distinct lineage of animals that evolved on Earth. However, some say that if a planet is in the Phanerozoic stage, it could support large and complex life forms. The study also suggests that if similar levels of oxygen can be discovered on faraway planets, the conditions could be right for alien like dinosaurs to exist.
Dinosaurs first appeared during the Triassic period, 245 million years ago. They dominated the land for over 140 million years during the Mesozoic era, which extended from approximately 225 million to 65 million years ago. The non-avian dinosaur part of the evolutionary tree went extinct about 66 million years ago, likely due to a catastrophic event such as an asteroid impact
Many experts doubt that dinosaurs could survive today. Factors that might impact dinosaur survival include:
- Temperature: Dinosaurs lived in much warmer climates.
- Food sources
- Oxygen levels: The current atmosphere has about 21 percent oxygen. The atmosphere during the dinosaur era had about 50% more oxygen.
Larger dinosaurs, such as sauropods and theropods, might have trouble surviving because they need a lot of oxygen. However, some early dinosaurs from the Triassic might be comfortable running around today. Land dinosaurs might also be comfortable in tropical and semi-tropical parts of the world.
Birds, or avian dinosaurs, survived the extinction and flourished. There are more than 18,000 bird species alive today.
No, humans never lived with dinosaurs. Humans are a young species, with ancestors first appearing around 5–7 million years ago. Modern humans evolved around 300,000 years ago. Dinosaurs died out nearly 65 million years ago.
However, a 2023 study suggests that early mammals, including human ancestors, lived alongside dinosaurs for a short time before the asteroid impact. The study says that early mammals evolved before the asteroid hit.
If humans had evolved alongside dinosaurs, they might have been able to coexist. Humans evolved in ecosystems with large land animals and predators.
After dinosaurs went extinct, mammals began to diversify and take over many ecological niches.This allowed placental mammals to evolve into modern mammals, including humans.
Humans are primates, a group of mammals that also includes gorillas, chimps, monkeys, and lemurs. The first modern humans, Homo sapiens, appeared in Africa around 300,000 years ago. They eventually moved into Asia and Europe, and then other parts of the world.
Some say that humans might not have existed if dinosaurs hadn’t gone extinct.
There is no direct evidence from the fossil record that humans and dinosaurs coexisted. Human and dinosaur fossils have never been found in the same geological strata. Dinosaur fossils are 60 million years older than human-like fossils.
Dinosaurs became extinct about 66 million years ago. The first humans appeared on Earth about 65 million years after the dinosaurs went extinct.
Humans share DNA with other organisms, including dinosaurs, because all life is related and comes from a common ancestor. However, it’s unlikely that humans and dinosaurs would share the same DNA molecules because DNA is specific to each species. The exact sequence and arrangement of genetic material is unique to each species.
Humans share most of their DNA with other species. The percentage of genes or DNA that organisms share records their similarities. Humans share more genes with organisms that are more closely related to them.
The closest living relatives of all dinosaurs are crocodilians (crocodiles, alligators, gharials). Birds are the closest living relatives to all extinct dinosaurs.
Scientists have identified the oldest primate ancestor, which lived alongside dinosaurs. The ancestor is a rat-sized creature with tiny teeth that are 0.08 inches long. The ancestor is part of the oldest group of primates, known as plesiadapiforms.
Scientists estimate that the ancestor of all primates, including today’s primates, likely emerged by the Late Cretaceous. This means that the ancestor lived alongside large dinosaurs.
The closest ancestor of humans to live during the time of the dinosaurs would have been similar to a modern lemur.
Humans evolved from ape-like ancestors. Scientists believe that humans and chimpanzees shared a common ancestor between 5–7 million years ago. Humans evolved from quadrupedal apes into upright-walking, large-brained creatures with nimble fingers.
Humans evolved from a series of hominid ancestors. The first modern humans, Homo sapiens, evolved in Africa between 200,000–300,000 years ago. They developed language about 50,000 years ago. The first modern humans began moving out of Africa about 70,000–100,000 years ago.
Humans’ most likely recent common ancestor is Homo erectus, which means “upright man” in Latin. Homo erectus lived between 1.9 million and 135,000 years ago.
Humans’ closest ancient human relatives are Neanderthals and Denisovans. Scientific evidence suggests that Neanderthal and modern human lineages separated at least 500,000 years ago.
A new study published in the Monthly Notices of the Royal Astronomical Society suggests that dinosaurs might still exist on other planets. The study proposes that planets far away from Earth could potentially support life forms resembling dinosaurs. The study’s co-author Lisa Kaltenegger said in a statement: “Modern Earth’s light fingerprint has been our template for identifying potentially habitable planets”.
Researchers believe that humans currently possess the technology to detect such life on exoplanets. If we discover life beyond Earth, it could change the course of human history.
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