Better, stronger (and prettier?): Plants that survived a catastrophic disaster

Plants like holly and ivy are still growing and reproducing and in no danger of going extinct.

The life strategy of plants that dominate our forests today may be linked to a massive meteorite that slammed into Earth 66 million years ago, according to a new study.

At the end of the Cretaceous period, a 10km-wide space rock landed off the Yucatan coast. The impact and the ensuing tsunamis, hurricanes, forest fires and earthquakes are believed to be responsible for one of the worst extinction events our planet has ever seen, including the demise of the dinosaurs. It has also been linked to the extinction of 50% of Earth’s plant life.