• Question: Is there a chance of an asteroid (like the one that killed off the dinosaurs) hitting earth and wiping out the human race?

    Asked by anon-193405 to Morwenna, Jamal, iainstaniland, Heidi, Emma, Carl on 11 Nov 2018.
    • Photo: Emma Crawford

      Emma Crawford answered on 11 Nov 2018:

      Most scientists say our planet is threatened by such an asteroid about every million years, so fingers crossed we’re not due for one any time soon!

      NASA’s Planetary Defense Coordination Office (PDCO) tracks near-Earth objects (NEOs) of significant size with the potential to hit our planet. It’s a collaborative effort involving observatories and universities all over the world. The perennial question is whether or not an asteroid looks as if it’s inside the “keyhole,” meaning it has the potential to make impact with Earth.

      Read more here: https://bigthink.com/philip-perry/could-modern-humans-survive-an-asteroid-impact-like-what-killed-the-dinosaurs

    • Photo: Heidi Gardner

      Heidi Gardner answered on 12 Nov 2018:

      There is a chance, but it’s very low. There are also lots of scientists working to track asteroids so that we have some warning if this was to happen – but also because they might be able to stop it. This article has 10 ways to stop a killer asteroid, take a look here: https://science.howstuffworks.com/10-ways-to-stop-asteroid.htm

    • Photo: Carl Heron

      Carl Heron answered on 13 Nov 2018:

      There is always a chance but it’s a very remote one………….a bit like the chance of me winning the big prize in the national lottery.

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