Tuna’s speed and warm blood evolved over 50M years, not from dinosaur asteroid
A Yale University study challenges the theory that the asteroid impact that killed the dinosaurs triggered the evolution of modern tuna. Researchers found that tuna's defining traits, such as warm-bloodedness and speed, evolved gradually over millions of years rather than as a rapid response to the extinction event.
Why it matters
This research refines our understanding of evolutionary biology and corrects a long-standing misconception regarding the timeline of marine predator development.
A long-standing scientific theory linking the extinction of dinosaurs to the evolution of modern tuna has been challenged by a new Yale University study. Researchers have found that the asteroid strike that wiped out non-avian dinosaurs 66 million years ago did not directly trigger the evolution of large, fast-swimming, warm-blooded predators such as tuna.The findings, published in the journal Proceedings of the Royal Society B, suggest that tuna and their relatives evolved their defining characteristics gradually over tens of millions of years rather than rapidly after the mass extinction event.New study challenges popular dinosaur extinction theoryFor years, scientists believed that the asteroid impact responsible for the Cretaceous–Paleogene (K-Pg) extinction created an ecological opportunity for tuna and other large marine predators to thrive.
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