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Series 113

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Scientists find fossil of dinosaur ‘killed on day of asteroid strike’

The Guradian (卫报)

2022年04月07日

Scientists believe they have been given an extraordinary view of the last day of the dinosaurs after they discovered the fossil of an animal they believe died that day. The perfectly preserved leg, which even includes remnants of the animal’s skin, can be accurately dated to the time the asteroid that brought about the dinosaurs’ extinction struck Earth 66m years ago, experts say, because of the presence of debris from the impact, which rained down only in its immediate aftermath.

“It’s absolutely bonkers ,” said Phillip Manning, a professor of natural history at the University of Manchester. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the thescelosaurus leg discovered at the Tanis dig site in North Dakota was the “ ultimate dinosaur drumstick ”. He said: “The time resolution we can achieve at this site is beyond our wildest dreams … This really should not exist and it’s absolutely gobsmackingly beautiful. I never dreamt in all my career that I would get to look at something a) so time-constrained; and b) so beautiful, and also tells such a wonderful story.”

The dig has been filmed for a BBC documentary Dinosaurs: The Final Day with Sir David Attenborough; during which the broadcaster will review the fossil finds. “When Sir David looked at ‘[the leg], he smiled and said ‘that is an impossible fossil’. And I agreed,” Manning said. He said the team had also discovered the remains of fish that had breathed in impact debris from the asteroid strike, which occurred 1,864 miles (3,000km) away in the Gulf of Mexico.

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Scientists believe they have been given an extraordinary view of the last day of the dinosaurs after they discovered the fossil of an animal they believe died that day. The perfectly preserved leg, which even includes remnants of the animal’s skin, can be accurately dated to the time the asteroid that brought about the dinosaurs’ extinction struck Earth 66m years ago, experts say, because of the presence of debris from the impact, which rained down only in its immediate aftermath.

科学家们认为，他们看到了恐龙灭绝前的场景，因为他们发现了在那一天死亡的动物的化石。专家们说，这条保存完好的腿，甚至包括动物皮肤的残留物，可以准确地追溯到6600万年前导致恐龙灭绝的小行星撞击地球的时间，因为存在着撞击产生的碎片，这些碎片只是在撞击后立即落下。

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“It’s absolutely bonkers ,” said Phillip Manning, a professor of natural history at the University of Manchester. He told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme the thescelosaurus leg discovered at the Tanis dig site in North Dakota was the “ ultimate dinosaur drumstick ”. He said: “The time resolution we can achieve at this site is beyond our wildest dreams … This really should not exist and it’s absolutely gobsmackingly beautiful. I never dreamt in all my career that I would get to look at something a) so time-constrained; and b) so beautiful, and also tells such a wonderful story.”

曼彻斯特大学自然历史学教授菲利普·曼宁说：“这绝对是疯狂（震撼）的”。他告诉英国广播公司BBC第四台的《今日》节目，在北达科他州Tanis挖掘现场发现的奇异龙腿是“封顶恐龙腿”。他说：“我们在这个地点所能达到的时间精准度超出了我们最疯狂的梦想…这真的不应该存在，它绝对是令人瞠目结舌的美丽。在我所有的职业生涯中，我从未梦想过我能看到这样的东西：a）精准时间；b）如此美丽，还讲述了一个如此美妙的故事。”

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The dig has been filmed for a BBC documentary Dinosaurs: The Final Day with Sir David Attenborough; during which the broadcaster will review the fossil finds. “When Sir David looked at ‘[the leg], he smiled and said ‘that is an impossible fossil’. And I agreed,” Manning said. He said the team had also discovered the remains of fish that had breathed in impact debris from the asteroid strike, which occurred 1,864 miles (3,000km) away in the Gulf of Mexico.

这次挖掘已经被拍成了BBC纪录片《恐龙：最后的一天》，主持人将回顾这些化石的发现。“当大卫爵士看着‘这条腿’时，他笑着说，‘这是一块不可能的化石’。我也同意。”曼宁说。他表示，研究小组还发现了鱼的遗骸，这些鱼吸入了小行星撞击产生的碎片，它（小行星撞击）发生在1,864英里（3,000公里）之外的墨西哥湾。

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