In the previous sections of this three-part series, we explored why humans, not climate, played the much larger part in the extinction of Late Quaternary megafauna. However, this rather obvious reality has been obscured by a swathe of scientific papers with questionable conclusions. In this final piece of my series, I will aim to foster […]
In the first section of this three part series, we examined the background and defining characteristics of the Late Quaternary Extinctions and explored the nuances of climate change and ecology. In doing so, we showed that the support for climate as the central driver of the disappearance of so many species over the past few
Like many other people, the natural world has fascinated me from a very young age. I spent countless hours in my childhood drawing, reading about, and watching documentaries on animals such as tigers, brown bears, lions, various species of deer, buffalo, and so much more. I learned about the diets, physical attributes, and geographic distributions
Welcome to part 2 of this series on Late Pleistocene American extinctions. In Part 1, we introduced the debate regarding the Late Pleistocene extinctions in the Americas and thoroughly explained why humans were not simply a factor, but the main factor in the demise of megafauna. In this section, we will explore the evidence for
Nowhere is more central to the subject of the Late Pleistocene extinctions than the Americas. It was based on observing the staggering and abrupt losses of charismatic North American megafauna that a geoscientist, Paul Martin, proposed his theory that the first humans to enter the New World were responsible for the elimination of most large-bodied
There are few places on the planet as distinctive as Australia. With its isolated geographical location and iconic landscapes, it captures the imagination of people the world over. Picturesque red deserts, glistening beaches, and Eucalyptus woodlands may provide its most characteristic scenery, but arcane rainforests, snow-covered mountains, and much more can be found on the
Imagine that it’s 30,000 years ago in a tropical savannah. A grove of palm trees lines a river nearby. What appears to be an elephant is bathing in the water while a crocodile is laying on the river bank, basking in the warm sun…
