(Print) Name:___________________

Ch.1
What Happened to the Dinosaurs?

The dinosaurs died off during a mass extinction event around 65 million years ago. The
cause of this mass extinction event is still of some debate. The following have all been
put forth at various times to explain the demise of the dinosaurs.

Sex: It is known that a slight warming trend occurred around the time the dinosaurs went
extinct. This hypothesis suggests that the dinosaurs warmed up, not enough to kill them,
but enough to sterilize them. The testes of male animals often function within a narrow
temperature range. It is speculated that the slight temperature increase sterilized male
dinosaurs and therefore caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.
Drugs: It is known that flowering plants first evolved toward the end of the dinosaur’s
reign. Many of these plants contained psychoactive agents that are toxic to animals.
Today, the majority of animals are equipped with livers that work to eliminate these
toxins, and many animals avoid them due to their bitter taste. This hypothesis suggests
that the dinosaurs were unable to taste the bitter toxins, and that their livers were not
equipped to detoxify the plant toxins; resulting in devastating consequences. The
dinosaurs essentially died off due to massive drug overdoses.
Disaster: There is a site in the Yucatan where a large comet hit the earth app. 65 million
year ago. As a result, a huge, worldwide dust cloud, which blocked the sun, suppressed
photosynthesis and drastically lowered worldwide temperatures. This hypothesis states
that the resulting changes in temperature and available sunlight caused the dinosaurs and
to go extinct.

Please complete the following:

1. Determine which above explanation you think constitutes the most valid scientific
hypothesis as to the demise of the dinosaurs
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

2. Briefly explain why you chose the following hypothesis over the others.
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________________

3. What are the 5 steps of the scientific method?

1._____________________________________________________________________
2._____________________________________________________________________
3._____________________________________________________________________
4._____________________________________________________________________
5._____________________________________________________________________