If a 10-mile-wide comet hits the earth, how will this likely affect the history of life?

Extinction events don't usually result in the complete extinction of life, but they do drastically alter the course and direction of evolution on Earth, producing winners and losers. A few mass extinction events have occurred in the geological past, and at least one of them (the end of the Cretaceous) was probably caused by a 10 km asteroid or comet striking Earth. This led to the extinction of the dinosaurs (apart from birds and their living ancestors), but it also meant that mammals and our ancestors survived and took over the planet.

The impact of a 10-mile-wide comet hitting the Earth would likely have catastrophic consequences for life on the planet. The impact would result in massive devastation, including widespread destruction of ecosystems, tsunamis, wildfires, and a significant release of dust and debris into the atmosphere, leading to a global cooling effect. This event could potentially trigger mass extinctions and drastically alter the course of evolutionary history for surviving species.