Scientists are debating the idea that diseases spread by ancient mosquitoes, mites and ticks finished off the reptiles.

The most widely accepted explanation of the dinosaurs' demise is that they were wiped out by an asteroid or comet that smashed into the earth off the coast of Mexico 65 million years ago.

George Poinar from Oregon State University, points out that they did not vanish immediately, which would have been expected from an impact scenario.

But he said emerging diseases spread by biting insects and competition with insects for plant resources was perfectly compatible with a lengthy process of extinction.
go

I look forward to the responses from the regulars on this.

No reason why not, but to the scale and area that dinosaurs were?

may be that is correct..............................
it could be both...........first an asteroid or something hits the earth and then later,they vanished by the diseases from insects.................

Some of the dinosaurs were going extinct just prior to the KT event, so I'm pretty sure it was not just one single thing that wiped them out, but a series.

I have been playing with an idea about the co2/oxygen ratio. The mystery of a pathogen is that there is little evidence on the bones to suggest a disease. Take 'lucy', she had arthritis. At any rate such pathogen would be existing in a fossil state, either in existing animals as a immunity or possibly even just a curios species of biochemical entity. Visually something that would make sense in modern times or has no known purpose. I once read an article that defined the possability that no one single thing wiped them out. It was geared towards the great mammalian extinction that happened while we were coming around.
http://www.berkeley.edu/news/media/release...04/09/30_.shtml
As an example, what the article i read said though was that after the ice age there was staggering amounts and the population would have recovered.That is where we would fit in.
anyways, a multiphase event is likely.But i cant figure the reason why the marine animals would have died out too.
Or explain why only certain ones, especially species more older then dinosaurs would survive.See to state a pathogen of sort was responsible is probably a good and valid premise.But why, for less advanced types, namely reptiles, would it spare them?
Also look at the type that still exist. Quadruped and low to the ground.There are some that are scavenger, so to say that the dinosaurs died out from a disease spread possibly through scavenge flesh is not supported. Ideally i think it has to do with the endothermic dependency of reptiles and the proposed methods of how dinosaurs regulate heat. Or something like that.As some reptiles alter embryo in eggs from female to male through temperature differences in incubation.Things like this seem more possible.

Killed by insects O.o

What a way to go