Life has a way of adapting when things change. An impact by a giant asteroid wiped out most of the life on Earth about 66 million years ago. Within years, though, life began to rebound – especially plant life. Dense forests developed. And a recent study says that, in the western hemisphere, the winners included grapes and other viny plants.

The asteroid was about six miles in diameter. According to another recent study, it was born in the early solar system, beyond the orbit of Jupiter. An encounter with another body kicked it toward the Sun – and Earth.

When the asteroid hit Earth it created a huge fireball and a shockwave that destroyed everything within hundreds of miles. It also gouged a giant crater, which blasted billions of tons of water and rock into the sky – enough to blot out the Sun for years. It also created acid rain across the globe and caused other major problems. So most life perished.

But research in recent years has shown that new plant life quickly thrived. One example was found by researchers who were studying fossilized grapes in the Americas. They discovered the oldest grape seed ever seen in the western hemisphere – 60 million years old. The researchers suggested that, without giant animals around to knock down trees, forests could have grown taller and thicker. Viny plants that climbed the trees also developed – including grapes.

We’ll have more about space rocks tomorrow.

Script by Damond Benningfield