A new study challenges the view that ammonites declined before their extinction 66 million years ago, showing instead that they remained globally diverse and robust. The research highlights that their extinction was influenced by a range of geographic and environmental factors, rather than an inevitable outcome. Ammonites bask in the Late Cretaceous sun. Credit: Artwork … Read more
The woolly mammoths on Wrangel Island, from a tiny original population, persisted for 6,000 years despite genetic obstacles. Their sudden extinction remains a mystery, offering lessons for modern conservation efforts. Credit: Beth Zaiken Genetic analysis of the last woolly mammoths on Wrangel Island has revealed a population that managed to survive for 6,000 years despite … Read more
How did the woolly mammoth, an ambassador of the Ice Age, come to be trapped in modern-day Wrangel? … [+] Island? And what ultimately caused their extinction? New evidence suggests it wasn’t bad genetics as previously thought. getty Rising sea levels around 10,000 years ago transformed Wrangel Island into a last refuge for the woolly … Read more
Once upon a time, there were many giants living in our world. Actually, it wasn’t that long ago. Once the dinosaurs had had their day, our planet was home to a whole new range of gigantic animals, from human-sized sloths to woolly mammoths to enormous wombats and kangaroos to the magnificent giant goose. Between about … Read more
Scientists have long debated why woolly mammoths, giant sloths and 44 other giant, plant-eating “megaherbivores” became extinct about 50,000 years ago. Some paleontologists, biologists and others have argued that drastic climate changes during the past two ice ages were responsible for the extinction of these majestic creatures. But a new study has found another culprit: … Read more
Prehistoric humans hunt a woolly mammoth. A growing body of research shows that this species—and at least 46 other megaherbivores—were driven to extinction by humans. (Source: Engraving by Ernest Grise, photographed by William Henry Jackson. Courtesy Getty’s Open Content Program) AARHUS, Denmark — Imagine a world where elephants roamed Europe, giant ground sloths lumbered across … Read more
By Xantha Leatham Deputy Science Editor for The Daily Mail 15:09 01 Jul 2024, updated 15:14 01 Jul 2024 Without dinosaurs trampling on trees, vines like grapes flourished READ MORE: Asteroid wiped out the dinosaurs 66 million years ago The next time you open a bottle of wine, raise a glass to the dinosaurs. That’s … Read more
Prehistoric humans hunt a woolly mammoth. Mounting evidence suggests that this species, and at least 46 other megaherbivores, were driven to extinction by humans. Credit: Engraving by Ernest Grise, photographed by William Henry Jackson. Getty’s Open Content Program The debate has raged for decades: was it humans or climate change that caused many species of … Read more
Earth has undergone multiple mass extinctions during its existence; for example, the Toarcian Oceanic Anoxic Event (T-OAE) has decimated the planet’s marine ecosystems. But according to a new study by international researchers from Caltech, George Mason University, the University of Naples and elsewhere, the destructive effects of the T-OAE over a period of 300,000 to … Read more
A quarry illustrating bands of layered limestone from the ancient seabed in what is now Mercato San Severino in Italy. Credit: F. Tissot About 183 million years ago, volcanic activity in modern South Africa unleashed an estimated 20,500 gigatons of carbon dioxide (CO2) in the ocean-atmosphere system over a period of 300 to 500 thousand … Read more