Today we talk about the Cretaceous–Paleogene extinction event, the apocalyptic bad day 66 million years ago that brought a sudden, fiery end to the 165-million-year reign of the dinosaurs.

It all started with a space rock the size of Mount Everest hurtling toward Earth at 40,000 miles per hour, slamming into the Yucatan Peninsula with the force of 100 trillion tons of TNT. In this episode, we are tracking the terrifying chain reaction of the Chicxulub impact - from the initial supersonic blast wave and global wildfires to the megatsunamis and the suffocating blanket of ash that plunged the planet into a years-long impact winter.

We’re digging deep into the geological calling cards of this cosmic catastrophe, like the global layer of iridium dust and the famous Chicxulub crater itself. We’ll explore how this sudden collapse of the food ...