66 million years ago, the fall of the asteroid changed the course of evolution on Earth, causing mass extinction, which destroyed almost all dinosaurs. But what would happen if this cataclysm did not happen and dinosaurs continued to exist? Could they become intelligent creatures capable of evolution like man? Scientists reflect on these questions, trying to understand what the earth would look like if the dinosaurs did not disappear.
According to research, dinosaurs could survive in a changing world even after the fall of the asteroid. Steve Brusatte at the University of Edinburgh claims that dinosaurs could probably evolve and adapt to various climatic changes. For example, many types of dinosaurs had feathers that helped them survive in cold conditions. Some species could be warm -blooded, which also contributed to their survival in low temperatures. With such adaptations, dinosaurs could survive the glacial periods if they would come. One of the main questions is whether dinosaurs could become intelligent creatures. In the 1980s, the theory emerged that dinosaurs from the Troodontide family could evolve into intelligent creatures similar to humans. These dinosaurs had large brains, a bipedal physique, and opposed fingers, which would allow them to use tools. However, later studies have shown that none of the species of dinosaurs could be a direct ancestor of admitting creatures. Nevertheless, modern birds - descendants of dinosaurs who have survived the catastrophe - demonstrate that dinosaurs could be quite smart. Birds have more neurons in their brain than mammals, which allows them to solve complex tasks. If the dinosaurs were not extinct, the evolution of mammals would go the other way. Brusatte believes that small mammals that existed near the dinosaurs could not be able to evolve into larger forms. It is also impossible to say exactly whether mammals would become more diverse during the glacial periods. The biggest question that is worried about scientists: could people appear on Earth if dinosaurs did not extinct? Paul Serena from the University of Chicago believes that people could not evolve in the world where large dinosaurs existed. The extinction of dinosaurs and some mammal competing groups has allowed our prime ancestors to develop and evolve in modern people. Therefore, it is likely that our appearance would be impossible in the world where dinosaurs remained the dominant species.
If the fall of the asteroid did not destroy dinosaurs, there could be a completely different evolutionary situation on Earth. Dinosaurs could adapt to changes, and some species could become smart, although it is unlikely to be capable of Homo Sapiens intelligence. Most likely, we would not be able to appear as a species, since the dominance of dinosaurs would prevent the evolution of mammals.
