Experts suggest that DNA found in sedimentary deposits likely originated from long-deceased animals. The mystery surrounding the exact timing of the extinction of mammoths has long captivated paleontologists, as the decline of these giant ice age creatures seemed to coincide with the arrival of hum
Cameron Schwalbach, left, paleontology collections manager for the Cincinnati Museum Center’s Geier Collections and Research Center, and University of Cincinnati assistant professor Joshua Miller examine a mammoth skull. Credit: Andrew Higley/UCThe mystery surrounding the exact timing of the extinction of mammoths has long captivated paleontologists, as the decline of these giant ice age creatures seemed to coincide with the arrival of humans in North and South America.
“The issue is you have no idea how old that DNA is,” Miller said. “Sedimentary deposits are complex. Materials of different ages are routinely buried together.” From recent discoveries like the baby mammoth found in Canada this year, we know that many ice-age animals that died tens of thousands of years ago can become mummified in the arctic’s dry, cold environment. Miller said researchers can’t tell whether environmental DNA preserved in sediment was shed from a living or dead animal.
The researchers say the slow decomposition of animals in arctic regions could explain how mammoth DNA is showing up thousands of years later than the most recent mammoth fossil discovered. The paper notes that the mummified remains of elephant seals near Antarctica can be more than 5,000 years old. Miller said the question remains what impact, if any, humans had on the global decline and extinction of mammoths. Humans were known to use fire to alter landscapes in profound ways, Miller said. They also hunted mammoths and made use of their ivory tusks.
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