Frogs evolved by asteroids made dinosaurs extinct

A scientific study shows that the great diversity of frogs today results from a collision between the Earth and an asteroid that causes dinosaurs to become extinct.

New research shows that frog populations have exploded after the extinction event 66 million years ago. This seems to contradict previous evidence that suggests the ancient origins of many of the major frog groups.

According to research published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Science, about 90% of frogs today evolved from 3 frogs that survived the event.

Frogs are one of the most diverse groups of vertebrates with more than 6,700 species discovered. However, the lack of genetic data has hampered efforts to monitor their evolution.

Hyla sanchiangensis frogs in eastern China are descendants of one of three frog species that surpassed the mass extinction on Earth 66 million years ago to grow worldwide.(Photo: Peng Zhang).

The impressive diversity of frogs seems to have occurred after the asteroid collision with the area that is now the edge of the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico.

Generating more than a billion times more energy than an atomic bomb, this alien object wiped out three-quarters of life on Earth. However, it seems to create an evolutionary step for frogs again.

Scientists sampled 95 genes from DNA of 156 frog species. They then combined this data with genetic information from 145 more species to create detailed frog genealogies based on their genetic relationships.

David Blackburn, Florida Museum of Natural History, co-authored and explained on the BBC: "Frogs have appeared about 200 million years ago. However, this study shows only when the dinosaurs are extinct, The new frog species' diversification has led to the creation of the majority of frogs we see today . "

Dr. Blackburn said the frog's rate of diversification after the collision showed that surviving species may have filled the ecological gaps left by other species.