Some bacteria' dramatic final moments could reveal more about the severity of earlier space rock strikes on Earth.
According to a recent study, the burned remains of microorganisms killed by even a moderate asteroid impact can reveal the extent of cosmic crash damage.
Four craters that were formed thousands of years apart and are located in Estonia, Poland, and Canada were analysed by a study team
The team discovered millimeter- to centimeter-sized particles of charcoal mixed in with the material that was generated after each of these strikes
the authors wrote, despite the distance in geography and the interval in time between them.
According to lead investigator Anna Losiak, who works at the Institute of Geological Sciences at the Polish Academy of Sciences
the charcoal "was created from species slain, cooked and buried by the asteroid."