woolly mammoths

Oldest RNA Ever Recovered Captures a Woolly Mammoth’s Dying Moments

A new study opens the door to a whole new world of ancient genome research.

Biology Ellyn Lapointe Nov 14

Rediscovered Fossil Redraws the Map of Woolly Mammoth Territory

New research shows that woolly mammoths roamed farther east than scientists previously thought.

Biology Margherita Bassi Nov 8

52,000-Year-Old Mammoth ‘Beef Jerky’ Reveals Exquisitely Preserved Chromosomes

The delicate biological structures were miraculously preserved, giving scientists a time capsule into the genomic architecture of the extinct giants.

Biology Isaac Schultz Jul 11

Scientists Discover Ice Age Structure Made From Bones of 60 Mammoths

An unusually large structure from the last ice age built from the bones of dozens of woolly mammoths has been uncovered in Russia. Dating back some 25,000 years, it’s the oldest known structure of its kind—but its purpose isn’t entirely clear. Circular structures made from mammoth bones are surprisingly common in the archaeological record, dating…

Human History George Dvorsky Mar 16

One of the Last Mammoths on Earth Was So Mutated, It Lost the Ability to Smell Flowers

The vast majority of woolly mammoths went extinct at the end of the last ice age, but small, isolated populations managed to hold out for a little while longer. New research uncovers the extent to which at least one of these final mammoths suffered due to its many mutations. Diabetes, developmental disorders, male infertility, and…

Biology George Dvorsky Feb 7

A 15,000-Year-Old Trap for Catching Woolly Mammoths Has Been Discovered in Mexico

Archaeologists working at a site near Mexico City have unearthed a 15,000-year-old trap built by humans to capture mammoths, in what’s the first discovery of its kind. Early settlers of the Mexico Basin subdued giant mammoths by digging out deep, wide trenches and then driving the animals into the pits, according to a press release…

Human History George Dvorsky Nov 8

How the Last Woolly Mammoths Met Their Demise on a Remote Arctic Island

The last mammoths to stomp on Earth lived on Wrangel Island in the Arctic Ocean. This isolated population lived for thousands of years after most mammoths were gone, but when extinction finally came, it happened quickly. New evidence may finally explain what happened to these stubborn holdouts. Research published in Quaternary Science Reviews is shedding…

Biology George Dvorsky Oct 7

Demand for Ivory Has Spawned a Woolly Mammoth ‘Rush’ in Siberia

With the ban on the international trade of ivory, dealers are increasingly turning to a surprisingly abundant alternative: the tusks of woolly mammoths preserved in Siberian permafrost. But at what cost? A new AFP report is highlighting the burgeoning trade in woolly mammoth tusks—a development that, through the most optimistic lens, could ease pressure on…

Biology George Dvorsky Jan 4

Ancient Elephants and Mastodons Were Totally Down With Inter-Species Boning

The history of elephants—from gigantic woolly mammoths through to modern forest-dwelling pachyderms—is more complicated than we thought. An analysis of modern and ancient elephant genomes shows that interbreeding and hybridization was an important aspect of elephant evolution. New research published today in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences shows that ancient elephants were very…

Biology George Dvorsky Feb 26

Why Did Male Mammoths Get Stuck in Traps More Often Than Female Mammoths?

While conducting an analysis of woolly mammoth DNA, European researchers noticed something a little strange. A disproportionate number of male mammoths were found preserved in traps, such as holes and bogs. The explanation, say the researchers, can be be tied to the behavior of their distant relatives—the modern elephant. Imagine the scene: It’s about 12,000…

Biology George Dvorsky Nov 3

Strange Mammoth Skull Found in California Puzzles Paleontologists

Paleontologists working on an island off the coast of California’s Ventura County have discovered a strange mammoth skull that exhibits features never seen before in the extinct elephantine creatures. Not too big and not too small, this skull could represent a transitional species. The skull was found in an eroding stream bank on Santa Rosa…

Tech News George Dvorsky Sep 15

Fox Is Making a Movie About the De-Extinction of the Woolly Mammoth

Author Ben Mezrich is no stranger to finding a cool story and seeing it become a movie. He wrote the books that got turned into The Social Network and 21, and now his upcoming work has already been picked up by Hollywood. It’s about the potential return of the woolly mammoth. Mezrich’s upcoming book is…

Movies Germain Lussier Aug 9

Complete Woolly Mammoth Skeleton Found In The North Sea

The year of the woolly mammoth lumbers on with the revelation of a 40,000-year-old skeleton plucked piece by piece from waters off the east coast of England. North Sea Fossils, a Netherlands-based team of “archaeologists, salvagers, and palaeontologists… including an expert they call ‘Mr. Mammoth'”, collected the skull, tusks, and other fragments over multiple years.…

io9 Cheryl Eddy Dec 11

Woolly mammoths went out with a whimper, not a bang

Scientists have long wondered why woolly mammoths became extinct. We’ve delved into such possibilities as inbreeding, climate change, human hunting, and an asteroid impact. None of these solutions have proven particularly satisfying — mostly because, as a new study suggests, no single cause can be attributed to their extinction. The mammoths, it would seem, died…

io9 George Dvorsky Jun 13

One of the Most Well-Preserved Woolly Mammoths We’ve Ever Found

Rarely do researchers encounter a woolly mammoth that is as perfectly preserved as the one you see here; recently discovered entombed in the arctic steppes of Siberia, the juvenile mammoth (which has been named “Yuka”) has been so well protected throughout the millenia that its foot pads and hair are still intact. What’s more, researchers…

io9 Robbie Gonzalez Apr 4

For $13,000, you can buy your very own fiberglass mastodon

Impulse buy alert! We here at io9 have a thing for creepy fiberglass dinosaur sculptures (as seen at destinations like these). So we were visibly jazzed when tipster Laura informed us that someone was selling a 10-foot-tall, three-toed-sloth sculpture for a bargain $4000. In 2011, the venerable Prehistoric Forest and Mystery Hill roadside attraction (seen…

io9 Cyriaque Lamar Jan 19

Did mammoths die out because of breastfeeding?

Woolly mammoths were breastfed for far, far longer than any of their modern counterparts, sometimes going three years before eating solid food. This ancient parenting choice might ultimately have driven mammoths to extinction. Researchers examined the teeth from baby and adult mammoths who once lived in Old Crow, Yukon. They discovered that mammoths didn’t start…

io9 Alasdair Wilkins Dec 21

woolly mammoths

Oldest RNA Ever Recovered Captures a Woolly Mammoth’s Dying Moments

Rediscovered Fossil Redraws the Map of Woolly Mammoth Territory

52,000-Year-Old Mammoth ‘Beef Jerky’ Reveals Exquisitely Preserved Chromosomes

Scientists Discover Ice Age Structure Made From Bones of 60 Mammoths

One of the Last Mammoths on Earth Was So Mutated, It Lost the Ability to Smell Flowers

A 15,000-Year-Old Trap for Catching Woolly Mammoths Has Been Discovered in Mexico

How the Last Woolly Mammoths Met Their Demise on a Remote Arctic Island

Demand for Ivory Has Spawned a Woolly Mammoth ‘Rush’ in Siberia

Ancient Elephants and Mastodons Were Totally Down With Inter-Species Boning

Why Did Male Mammoths Get Stuck in Traps More Often Than Female Mammoths?

Strange Mammoth Skull Found in California Puzzles Paleontologists

Fox Is Making a Movie About the De-Extinction of the Woolly Mammoth

Complete Woolly Mammoth Skeleton Found In The North Sea

Woolly mammoths went out with a whimper, not a bang

One of the Most Well-Preserved Woolly Mammoths We’ve Ever Found

For $13,000, you can buy your very own fiberglass mastodon

Did mammoths die out because of breastfeeding?

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