The Cretaceous-Paleogene extinction event 66 million years ago resulted from a celestial impact near the Yucatan Peninsula, triggering global climate collapse and the doom of non-avian dinosaurs. Paleontologists have constructed detailed models of this catastrophe using geological sediment layers, fossil evidence, and computer simulations. Yet some researchers note peculiar inconsistencies in the extinction timeline—a secondary thermal spike approximately 66 million years ago that precedes or coincides with the asteroid impact, as if two separate extinction events cascaded simultaneously.

Dr. Robert Satterthwaite, a retired paleoclimatologist from the University of Chicago, published a speculative paper in 1994 proposing an alternative theory: two extinction mechanisms operating in tandem. His research suggested a localized thermal event—possibly volcanic or otherwise—in the late Cretaceous that might explain the sudden disappearance of apex predators before the main extinction pulse. His university declined to fund further study. Satterthwaite passed away in 2011 with his theory unpublished in major journals.

Internet paleontology communities occasionally resurrect Satterthwaite's unpublished work, noting his cryptic conclusion: 'If a singular being organized a barbecue event during the Cretaceous, the secondary extinction signature we observe would be precisely what we'd expect to find.' His colleagues regarded this as either a joke or a descent into speculation.