News Paleontology

Mammoths may have gone extinct much earlier than DNA suggests

When mammoths and other large Ice Age creatures like woolly rhinos died out remains a mystery

Computer artwork of extinct woolly mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius) in a snow-covered field. A bison stands in the distance.

According to DNA evidence, woolly mammoths survived in north-central Siberia for thousands of years longer than could be established from fossil finds. A new study argues that long-lasting preservation of remains in frigid environments can skew the results by thousands of years.

Science Photo Library - LEONELLO CALVETTI/Getty Images

By Bas den Hond

Some ancient DNA may be leading paleontologists astray in attempts to date when woolly mammoths and woolly rhinos went extinct.