Luis Alvarez

Luis Alvarez was a prominent American physicist and inventor, best known for his work in nuclear physics and for proposing the asteroid impact theory that explains the mass extinction event that wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago. He and his team discovered a layer of iridium-rich clay in the geological record, suggesting a large asteroid impact. Alvarez received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1968 for his work on particle accelerators. His contributions extend beyond physics to archaeology and geology, where his innovative techniques advanced our understanding of ancient cultures and Earth's history.