Study Reveals Asteroid Impact Had Minimal Effect on Shark and Ray Species
A recent study led by Swansea University has found that the asteroid impact, which caused the extinction of the dinosaurs, had a minimal effect on shark and ray species. The research utilized artificial intelligence models and the most comprehensive fossil dataset of sharks and rays to map their evolutionary history over 145 million years. The study revealed that species numbers comparable to modern levels were already established during the Cretaceous period, more than 100 million years ago. The asteroid impact resulted in only a 10 percent decline in these species, a stark contrast to the mass extinction experienced by non-avian dinosaurs and many marine predators. 
