Giant fauna killed by heat, not humans

摘要

Humans were not to blame for the extinction of prehistoric giant mammals after all - global warming was the real culprit, according to new evidence. Ever since a giant sloth was uncovered more than 200 years ago, hinting at the existence of an ancient menagerie of megafauna, our ancestors have been on trial for their extinction. "The overwhelming evidence is that the megafauna extinctions occur around the world whenever humans turn up," says Alan Cooper, who researches ancient DNA at the University of Adelaide in Australia. But that's not the whole story. Look closer and the pattern emerging is that climate change is linked to extinctions, regardless of whether humans were there or not, he says.