Dismantling the Ship That Drilled for the Ocean’s Deepest Secrets

A global cataclysm is portrayed in black and white in the sediments off the southeastern coast of the United States. Deep below the seafloor, chalky muds evince an ancient ocean flourishing with life. But a stark black layer cuts through the pale grains, marking the moment 66 million years ago when a six-mile wide asteroid slammed into Earth and our planet was never the same. The impact, known as the Chicxulub…