But researchers have found hard evidence of an asteroid impact that had a cataclysmic effect on the Earth's climate, along with asteroid-specific minerals like iridium at the crater in Chicxulub, Mexico -- all but proving the asteroid theory.

Scientists discovered that the asteroid causing the mass extinction 66 million years ago came from a rare C-type asteroid beyond Jupiter, ruling out alternative origins like volcanic activity or comets.

Experiment shows that a nuclear explosion could save the planet from a deadly asteroid impact Nature Physics A blast of X-rays from a nuclear explosion should be enough to save Earth from an incoming asteroid,

Scientists and the space community have long wondered how they can defend our precious planet from such a disaster. Now, researchers at US-based Sandia National Laboratories have taken a significant step toward protecting the Earth from large space rocks.