Discovery & Science / Ages 7+ / 7 min
The Chicxulub asteroid impact, about 10 kilometers wide, hit the Yucatan Peninsula and triggered a global catastrophe.
Heat waves, megatsunamis, and fires across continents. Animals within a few thousand kilometers had no chance.
Dust and ash blocked sunlight for years. Without enough light, plants died, then plant-eaters, then meat-eaters. Only small survivors made it through - including the ancestors of today's birds and mammals.
Videos matched to this lesson, with a quick discussion question for families.
A gentle explainer about the asteroid impact and why birds survived as living dinosaurs.
Ask: why did small survivors have an advantage?
A broad dinosaur-history lesson that covers fossils, extinction, and beginner paleontology ideas.
Ask: what can fossils tell us about how dinosaurs lived?
Big impacts are extremely rare. NASA's planetary defense team tracks near-Earth objects to give early warning.
More dinosaur guides connected by topic, category, or editorial picks.
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The Mesozoic Era: When Dinosaurs Lived
Three periods, 165 million years, and one giant change in life on Earth.
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How Fossils Form
From a buried bone to a museum mount - the steps that turn ancient animals into fossils.
Species Basics / 5 min
What Is a Dinosaur?
Not every prehistoric reptile was a dinosaur. Here's how scientists tell the difference.