Some scientists believe that 65 million years ago an asteroid struck what is now the Yucatán Peninsula, thereby causing extinction of the dinosaurs.
Scientists' Belief
The asteroid that hit 65 million years ago around the Yucatan Peninsula caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.
Scientists' Results
The debris launched by the asteroid could have blocked sunlight and cooled the atmosphere such that food sources for herbivorous dinosaurs disappeared, and all dinosaurs would have been killed by a prolonged period of low temps. But the debris would have gone away after six months, which is too soon for the dinosaurs to freeze or for the plants to die off.
Evaluate / Goal
Given that the debris wouldn't have lasted long enough to freeze all the dinosaurs, how can we say that the asteroid is responsible for causing the extinction of the dinosaurs?
We'll need some causal story that gets us from asteroid impact to dinosaur extinction.