© Reuters   [SOURCE: http://www.itn.co.uk]
Dinosaurs vanished earlier than previously thought and "within a gnat's eyebrow" of the meteor impact blamed for their extinction, according to scientists. 

Corrected dates for both events suggest they occurred almost at the same time, around 66 million years ago.

Previous studies have indicated that the impact pre-dated the death of the dinosaurs by as much as 300,000 years.

The disaster was probably the "final straw" for the dinosaurs but may not have been the only reason why the reptiles, which ruled the world for more than 150 million years died out, scientists believe.

A 110-mile crater in the Caribbean off the coast of Mexico marks the spot where a six-mile-wide object, either an asteroid or comet, smashed into the Earth.