London - It wiped out the dinosaurs 65 millions years ago and only happens every 100,000 years, but British scientists said yesterday it is now time to take steps to protect Earth from a major asteroid strike.
"These impacts are of low frequency but high consequences," said Prof David Williams, a former president of the Royal Astronomical Society. "The risk is very real, very tiny and we need to do something about it." Prof Williams and other members of the Task Force on Near-Earth Objects have urged Britain to spearhead an international effort to monitor comets and asteroids to reduce the risk of a devastating collision. In a report released yesterday, the task force appointed by the British Science Minister, Lord Sainsbury, in January listed a series of recommendations to reduce the odds of a collision.