The prevailing theory states that 66 million years ago a giant asteroid crashed into the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico, and the effects of the colossal collision caused the extinction of 80% of life on the planet. The most critical loss to the evolution of life on Earth was the extinction of dinosaurs which allowed the mammals that managed to survive the conflict to emerge from the hiding places in which they had lived for many millions of years, flourish and dominate the planet, paving the way for the emergence of man. A new study reports that the extinction of the dinosaurs not only paved the way for the emergence of man, but also for wine.
Discovery
Research team led by scientists from the Field Museum in Chicago and the University of Michigan Museum of Paleontology they studied Fossilized grape seeds found in Colombia, Panama and Peru. Dated to around 60 million years old, researchers say they support the theory that grapevines only took root around the world after dinosaurs had become a thing of the past.
“These are the oldest grapes ever found in this part of the world, and they are a few million years younger than the oldest grapes ever found on the other side of the planet, in what is now central India. This discovery is important because it shows that after the dinosaurs went extinct, grapes really started to spread. We always think of animals, dinosaurs, because they were the biggest ‘things’ affected, but the extinction event also had a huge impact on plants. The forests came back, in a way that changed the composition of the plants. Without large dinosaurs to level them, some tropical forests, including those in South America, began to grow rapidly. These denser habitats offered new opportunities. What happened after the dinosaurs went extinct may also have helped grapes spread their seeds,” says Fabiani Herrera of the Field Museum.
Naftemporiki.gr