Ecologists learn lessons from the 'ghosts of megafauna'
Scientists have been assessing the ecological consequences of a megafauna-depleted world and what, if anything, should be done about it. Researchers discussed whether the loss of big beasts contributed to regional and global system changes, such as Arctic warming and more wildfires. Read more
Woolly rhino site reveals ancient British temperature
Scientists studying an exceptionally well-preserved woolly rhinoceros have revealed details of what Britain's environment was like 42,000 years ago. The beast's remains were discovered in Staffordshire in 2002, buried alongside other preserved organisms such as beetles and non-biting midges. Read more
Lemmings became "regionally extinct" five times due to rapid climate change during the last Ice Age, scientists have found. Each extinction was followed by a re-colonisation of genetically different lemmings, according to the study. It investigated how Europe's small mammals fared during the era when large numbers of megafauna became extinct. Read more
Unravelling the causes of the Ice Age megafauna extinctions
Was it humans or climate change that caused the extinctions of the iconic Ice Age mammals (megafauna) such as the woolly rhinoceros and woolly mammoth? For decades, scientists have been debating the reasons behind these enigmatic Ice Age mass extinctions, which caused the loss of a third of the large mammal species in Eurasia and two thirds of the species in North America. Read more
Unravelling the causes of the Ice Age megafauna extinctions
Was it humans or climate change that caused the extinctions of the iconic Ice Age mammals (megafauna) such as the woolly rhinoceros and woolly mammoth? For decades, scientists have been debating the reasons behind these enigmatic Ice Age mass extinctions, which caused the loss of a third of the large mammal species in Eurasia and two thirds of the species in North America. Now an extensive, inter-disciplinary research team, involving over 40 academic institutions around the world and led by Professor Eske Willerslev's Centre for GeoGenetics at the Natural History Museum, University of Copenhagen, has tried to tackle the contentious question in the biggest study of its kind. And the answers are far more complicated than ever imagined. Read more
Scientists have found bones in Brazil that belonged to a 20-foot-tall sloth that lived some 10,000 years ago. The bones were found in Minas Gerais state. The giant sloth probably lived in the Holocene epoch, according to the Correio Braziliense daily. Read more
The discovery of a primitive woolly rhino fossil in Tibet suggests that some giant mammals first evolved there before the beginning of the Ice Age. The finding is published in this week's issue of the journal Science, and is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF). The extinction of Ice Age giants such as woolly mammoths, woolly rhinos, giant sloths and saber-toothed cats has been widely studied, but much less is known about where these giants came from, and how they acquired their adaptations for life in a cold environment. A team of geologists and paleontologists led by Xiaoming Wang from the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County (NHM) and Qiang Li of Institute of Vertebrate Paleontology and Paleoanthropology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, uncovered a complete skull and lower jaw of a new species of woolly rhino (Coelodonta thibetana). The find happened in the foothills of the Himalayas in the southwestern Tibetan Plateau.
Rare wild Konik horses are being reintroduced to Scotland to breathe new life into desolate marshlands. The RSPB Loch of Strathbeg Nature Reserve is harnessing them to establish new breeding grounds for birds and other wildlife. Read more
Ice Age bears may have been wiped out when humans began to take over their caves, scientists claim. A new DNA study shows that cave bear populations started to decline around 50,000 years ago, coincident with the time that human numbers increased. Caves were essential for these Ice Age bears to hibernate during the winter months. The arrival of human "squatters" who occupied caves made the bears homeless, leading to their untimely extinction. Read more
Giant turtle's demise the fault of humans, study says
Humans helped drive a species of giant turtle to extinction almost 3,000 years ago, according to study in PNAS. It is one of the first cases that clearly shows that humans played a role in the demise of the giant, extinct animals known as "megafauna". Read more