Luis Alvarez

Luis Alvarez was an American physicist. He was born in San Francisco, California, in 1911. He won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1968. He is also famous for the theory that an asteroid impact caused the extinction of the dinosaurs.

Scientific Career

Alvarez worked on many important projects during his career. He helped develop radar during World War II. He won the Nobel Prize for his work with subatomic particles. He used physics to solve real-world problems in creative ways.

The Asteroid Theory

In 1980, Alvarez and his son Walter discovered a thin layer of the rare metal iridium in rocks around the world. Iridium is common in asteroids but rare on Earth. They proposed that a giant asteroid hit Earth 66 million years ago and caused the dinosaurs to go extinct. This theory is now widely accepted by scientists.

Fun Facts

• Luis Alvarez won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1968.
• He and his son discovered the asteroid theory of dinosaur extinction.
• He also used cosmic rays to search for hidden chambers in Egyptian pyramids.

Did You Know?

Luis Alvarez used cosmic rays to X-ray the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. He was looking for hidden chambers inside the pyramid.