New research shows that ants have been farming fungi for 66 million years — thanks in part to the asteroid that fueled the demise of the dinosaurs.

When the dust that covered the skies 66 million years ago prevented plants from photosynthesizing and benefited creatures that fed on decomposing organic matter, these insects selected species that could fill their nutrient void,

And, until now, it had been assumed that the asteroid acted alone. This week, scientists at Scotland’s Heriot-Watt University have published new three-dimensional images of a crater made by a second asteroid that hit Earth at around the same time off the coast of West Africa.

For decades, the story of the dinosaurs’ demise has centered on a single event: an asteroid smashing into the Earth, creating the Chicxulub crater off the coast of Mexico. The massive impact unleashed chaos across the planet,

The crater left from the second asteroid's impact has been dubbed the Nadir crater, and it was first discovered in 2022.