The mass extinction of mammal species 50,000 years ago possibly linked to continental climate footprints.
An international team of scientists used global data modelling to construct continental “climate footprints” in an effort to determine the cause of the mass extinctions that took place 50,000 years ago.
“Between 50,000 and 3,000 years before present (BP) 65% of mammal species weighing over 44kg went extinct, together with a lower proportion of small mammals,” said lead author Dr David Nogues-Bravo from the Center for Macroecology, Evolution and Climate in University of Copenhagen. “Why these species became extinct in such large numbers has been hotly debated for over a century.” (more…)