Darkness and body size shaped end-Cretaceous marine extinction patterns
Daniela N. Schmidt
Nature, Published online: 27 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10541-4 Trait-based ecosystem modelling shows that impact-driven darkness and body-size-dependent extinction thresholds, rather than carbon-dioxide increase or acidification, drove most of the observed end-Cretaceous marine extinction patterns.