A 7.5 mile-wide (12 kilometer) space rock slammed into Earth 66 million years ago, setting off a series of events that ended the age of dinosaurs. A new TV special reconstructs what happened on one of the unluckiest days for life on Earth.
Dinosaur Apocalypse, a part of NOVA's science series, will air on PBS. In the documentary, narrated by Sir David Attenborough, you will follow paleontologists as they dig up new fossils, and then watch their findings play out with computer-generated imagery.
The entire program centers on discoveries made at a section of the Hell Creek Formation in North Dakota called Tanis, where researchers believe they have found a mass graveyard of animals killed after the asteroid struck.
We are able to look over the shoulders of paleontologists uncovering some of the rarest fossils ever found in North America, that if confirmed, could help illuminate the most dramatic single day in the history of the world.
The life on Earth was snuffed out in 9 months.
The special takes a detailed look at the work of Robert DePalma, a PhD student at the University of Manchester in England. In the first part of the special, called "Dinosaur Apocalypse: The New Evidence," viewers will see a pterosaur embryo still in its egg and a piece of Triceratops skin.
The team discovered more evidence that the fossils at Tanis were victims of the extinction event that wiped out 80% of Earth. There is a dinosaur leg that looks like it could have been ripped off in the wake of the asteroid hitting the Yucatn Peninsula.
Striking new fossils paint a picture of life right before the asteroid impact."Dinosaur Apocalypse: The New Evidence," hour one of a two-hour special, premieres on WED MAY 11 at 9/8c on @PBS: https://t.co/aOHtsyvgKj pic.twitter.com/CDZjxRFReXApril 29, 2022
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Live Science previously reported that not all experts are convinced that the Thescelosaurus featured in the documentary died on the day of the asteroid strike.
PBS and the Science Unit produced the documentary. The final day of Dinosaurs: The Final Day with David Attenborough was aired on the UK's BBC One on April 15, 2022. The new two-part NOVA special includes additional experts who did not appear in the U.K. version.
On May 11 at 9 p.m., Dinosaur Apocalypse: The New Evidence will air. Dinosaur Apocalypse: The Last Day will be shown on PBS at 10 p.m. Time. The episodes will also be available to watch on the PBS video app.
It was originally published on Live Science.
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