Study Finds 66-Million-Year-Old Asteroid Impact Triggered Global Fungal Blooms
Updated
Updated · VICE · May 23
Study Finds 66-Million-Year-Old Asteroid Impact Triggered Global Fungal Blooms
5 articles · Updated · VICE · May 23
PNAS research found two major spikes in fossilized fungal spores around the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary, with the larger bloom appearing after the Chicxulub impact 66 million years ago.
Sediment samples from Colorado and North Dakota suggest the asteroid's aftermath created an "impact winter"—dust and soot blocked sunlight, collapsed food chains and left vast dead organic matter for fungi to consume.
Johns Hopkins researchers used sodium hexametaphosphate instead of standard acid treatments, preserving delicate fungal remains that are often destroyed in earlier analyses.
The study also identified an earlier fungal surge tens of thousands of years before the strike, which the authors link to Deccan Traps volcanism that had already stressed global ecosystems.
Did the dinosaur-killer asteroid turn Earth into a giant fungal wasteland before life could rebound?
Could hidden fungal blooms be the key to understanding other mass extinctions in Earth's history?
Unveiling the Global Fungal Surge After the K/Pg Impact: New Insights Into Dinosaur Extinction and Mammalian Survival
Overview
A groundbreaking 2026 study by Rosanna Baker and Arturo Casadevall has provided the strongest evidence yet that a global fungal bloom swept the planet immediately after the catastrophic asteroid impact that triggered the Cretaceous-Tertiary (K/Pg) extinction event 66 million years ago. Using advanced lithostratigraphy, the researchers confirmed that the widespread death of plants and animals from the impact created vast amounts of organic matter, fueling an explosive growth of fungi worldwide. This research solidifies the long-held theory of a global fungal takeover during this pivotal period, offering new insights into how life on Earth responded to one of its greatest crises.