The impact killed all non-avian dinosaurs and decimated marine creaturesbut may have also boosted life in a peculiar way.
In the Gulf of Mexico,hydrothermal activitytakes place when water seeps into the seafloor.
The hydrothermal fluid, as its called, cools quickly in the deep, cold water.
A hydrothermal vent along the Mid-Atlantic Ridge.© Marum, CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The chemicals separate from the fluid and deposit along the seafloor.
Some deep-seamicrobes eat the chemicalschurned up by hydrothermal activity.
Osmium is associated with the composition of asteroids.
Specifically, plankton associated with high-nutrient environments thrived during the release of osmium.
When osmium levels returned to normal, the habitat shifted to favor plankton adapted to low-nutrient conditions.
We are increasingly learning about the importance of impact-generated hydrothermal systems for life, Gulick said.
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