# La Science s'aMuse: From the decline of the dinosaurs to the end of the season
Welcome to La Science s'aMuse, the scientific program co-produced by the UM and Divergence-FM, which throughout the year has taken you on a cruise through the archipelago of Muse laboratories. For this final issue of the season, Fabien Condamine, a biologist atMontpellier's Institut des sciences de l'évolution, talks to us about his latest study, published in Nature Communications, on the decline of the dinosaurs.
And for this last stop of the season, we're heading for a lost world! Today we bring you adventure, science and danger. Our story takes place 66 million years ago. While we sail the Tethys Sea between Laurasia and Gondwana, the Earth belongs to triceratops, diplodocus and velociraptors. But not for much longer! An asteroid 12 kilometers in diameter crashes into the Yucatan Peninsula, triggering a global cataclysm that will precipitate the downfall of these giants and two-thirds of the planet's species. We are now in the Cretaceous period, and witnessing the end of the Secondary Era, otherwise known as the Mesozoic Era.
A tragic scenario that has continued to inspire Hollywood, from Jurassic Park to Ice Age, for the pleasure of audiences tirelessly seduced by the fate of these great beasts. Except that... If dinosaurs are still very much alive in our imaginations, perhaps they weren't so frisky at the time of the tragedy? Indeed, a study published on June 30 in Nature Communications tells us that ten million years before their extinction, the decline of these fascinating creatures was already well underway. The cause of this slow demise? A reorganization of ocean circulation, leading to a 7 to 10 degree drop in global temperature. To trace the course of these "cascading extinctions", Fabien Condamine and his colleagues atIsem used the fossil record and a brand-new statistical modeling method: the PyRate program. He tells us more in this fascinating long-form interview.
Starting next week, Divergence-FM's summer schedule on 93.9 invites you to listen to La Science s'aMuse again at the beach, by the pool, at the foot of a mountain peak or in a canoe - wherever the summer breeze takes you. Thank you all for following us throughout the season. We look forward to seeing you again in September.
Read more :
- Dinosaur biodiversity declined well before the asteroid impact, influenced by ecological and environmental pressures, Fabien L. Condamine, Guillaume Guinot, Michael J. Benton & Philip J. Currie. Nature Communications, June 29, 2021. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23754-0.
- CNRS press release: The decline of the dinosaurs was underway long before the asteroid hit.
- Before the asteroid that caused their extinction, dinosaur species were already on the decline, The Conversation, June 29, 2021.
- "We didn't think about a decline in dinosaurs until the meteorite fell", Futura Science, June 29, 2021.
La science s'aMuse, you've got the map, let's get on board!
Production : Université de Montpellier/ Divergence FM
Animation : Lucie Lecherbonnier
Interviews: Aline Périault and Lucie Lecherbonnier
Production : Adeline Floc'h
Listen to the "A LUM LA SCIENCE" program on Divergence FM 93.9
