during the Cretaceous period. That's relatively recent in geologic time: If all Earth's history were compressed into an hour, flowering plants would exist for only the last 90 seconds. But once ...

Flowering plants were spreading across the landscape ... of more than half the planet's species at the end of the Cretaceous remains a matter of scientific debate. But the shifted continents ...

"It was already known that plant life changed toward the end of the Cretaceous, with flowering plants creating more diverse habitats on the ground," Professor Janis noted. "What had not been ...

"It was already known that plant life changed toward the end of the Cretaceous, with flowering plants, known as angiosperms, creating more diverse habitats on the ground," Janis said in the release.

Small fossils show mammals moved to the ground before the dinosaurs vanished. New plants changed habitats, giving better food and shelter.