Sixty-six million years ago, a massive asteroid struck what is now modern-day Mexico, causing the extinction of all dinosaurs except for birds. At the same time, volcanoes in what is now India experienced some of the largest eruptions in Earth's history, leading to a debate about whether these eruptions contributed to the demise of the dinosaurs. The volcanic eruptions released large amounts of CO2, dust, and sulfur, altering the climate on Earth, but the question remained whether they had a significant impact on the mass extinction. A new study by climate scientists from Utrecht University and the University of Manchester provides evidence that the volcanic eruptions had little to no effect on the mass extinction of the dinosaurs. The researchers analyzed fossil molecules in ancient peats from the United States to reconstruct air temperatures for the time period covering both the volcanic eruptions and the meteorite impact. They found that a major volcanic eruption occurred about 30,000 years before the meteor impact, causing a 5 degrees Celsius cooling of the climate. However, by around 20,000 years before the meteorite impact, temperatures on Earth had already stabilized and returned to similar temperatures before the volcanic eruptions started. This suggests that the effects of the volcanic eruptions had worn off thousands of years before the meteorite impacted, making it unlikely that they contributed to the mass extinction. The study, published in the journal Science Advances, provides valuable insights into the past and could help prepare for future climate changes or natural disasters. The research team's findings support the theory that the asteroid impact was the primary cause of the mass extinction, and their work could have important implications for understanding and preparing for future environmental disasters.