For more than 160 million years, dinosaurs dominated life on Earth.
They survived shifting continents, volcanic eruptions, changing climates and countless evolutionary challenges, becoming the planet's undisputed apex animals.
Then, around 66 million years ago, their reign ended with astonishing speed in geological terms.
Today, scientists overwhelmingly agree that the extinction was triggered by a colossal asteroid impact.
The collision released an amount of energy almost impossible to comprehend, estimated to be more than one billion times greater than the combined force of the atomic bombs dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki.
