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Ross MacPhee wants to understand why the mammoths are extinct.
© AMNH, Ross MacPhee |
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Theories as to what caused this great mammalian extinction event include climate change, overhunting by humans, or some combination of the two, but, according to Ross MacPhee, none of them add up.
MacPhee believes that only the introduction of a new and highly lethal infection--a hyperdisease--could explain the particular characteristics of this strange extinction. ("The Hyperdisease Hypothesis" explains his theory in detail. ) And Wrangel was the best place on earth to look for evidence. "All other Mammuthus primigenius had become extinct by 10,000 years ago, but the population on Wrangel persisted an additional 6,000 years.
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