What Happened to the Woolly Mammoth?

URL: http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/science/frontiers_20020515.shtml

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What force was great enough to wipe from Earth not only the woolly mammoth but all the other megafauna that once roamed the planet, from the saber toothed tiger to the giant sloth? These giant beasts all vanished from the fossil record around the same time, about 15 thousand years ago, at the end of the Pleistocene. Many scientists believe the mass megafauna extinctions were caused by hunting and/or a sudden change in climate. This radio broadcast explores the theory that the extinctions were caused by a highly lethal infectious disease. The scientist investigating this hyperdisease theory by analyzing woolly mammoth remains from Siberia, is trying to isolate the super virus he believes wiped out these furry beasts. The broadcast discusses how likely it may be that a virus can cause the total devastation of extinction, by being both highly infectious and lethal at the same time; whether humans carried a virus with them to the New World which later jumped to large animals; and the difficulty of proving a virus found within animal remains was lethal, as opposed to one of many harmless viruses. The broadcast is about 29 minutes in length.

Summary

Subject keyword(s)	Animals, Astronomy, Climate, Climatology, Earth and space science, Earth science, Fields of science, Geography, Geology, Geoscience, History and nature of science, Human body, Human geography, Life Science, Life science, Mammals, Meteorology, Natural history, Paleontology, Physical science, Physical sciences, Science, Scientific enterprises, Social Sciences, Space Science, Space sciences, Viruses, Weather
Grade level	Middle School, High School, Informal Education
Intended audience	Learner
Resource type	Audio/Visual, Event, Reference Material
Resource format	text, text/html
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Title	DLESE Community Collection
Link	http://www.dlese.org/
Description	The Digital Library for Earth System Education (DLESE) mission is to improve the quality, quantity, and efficiency of teaching and learning about the Earth System, by developing, managing, and providing access to high-quality educational resources and supporting services through a community-based, distributed digital library. Intended users include students, educators and citizens of all ages, in both formal and informal learning environments. The collection favors resources that convey linkages and connections; the general with the specific, theory with evidence, global with local, and that demonstrate the application of science to solving real world problems. This includes providing access to Earth data sets and imagery, and the tools and interfaces that enable their effective use. DLESE resources are community-contributed, by individuals, organizations, and formal collection efforts.
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Title	Middle School Portal: Math and Science Pathways (MSP2)
Link	http://msteacher2.org/
Description	The Middle School Portal 2: Math and Science Pathways (MSP2) supports middle grades educators with high-quality, standards-based resources and promotes collaboration and knowledge-sharing among its users. Educators use MSP2 to increase content knowledge in science, mathematics, and appropriate pedagogy for youth ages 10 to 15. MSP2 employs social networking and digital tools to foster dynamic experiences that promote creation, modification, and sharing of resources, facilitate professional development, and support the integration of technology into practice. MSP2 is a project of the Ohio State University College of Education and Human Ecology, National Middle School Association, and Education Development Center, Inc., and is funded by the National Science Foundation. The partners integrate resources, tools, and services across projects, and support multiple methods of resource discovery to meet the needs of this audience.
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Content contained within the resource

Home Explore the BBC Text only BBC Homepage BBC Radio Radio 4 PROGRAMME FINDER: Programmes Podcast Schedule Presenters PROGRAMME GENRES: News Drama Comedy Science Religion|Ethics History Factual Messageboards Radio 4 Tickets Radio 4 Help About the BBC Contact Us Help Like this page? Send it to a friend!   FRONTIERS MISSED A PROGRAMME? Go to the Listen Again page PROGRAMME INFO Wednesday 21:00-21:30 Frontiers explores new ideas in science, meeting the researchers who�see the world through fresh eyes and challenge existing theories - as well as�hearing from�their critics. Many�such developments create new ethical and moral questions and Frontiers is not afraid to consider these. radioscience@bbc.co.uk LISTEN AGAIN 30 min Listen to�15 May PRESENTER PETER EVANS PROGRAMME DETAILS Wednesday�15 May�2002 What happened to the Woolly Mammoth? That's the question that Frontiers will be asking this week and its a question that's been puzzling palaeontologists and climate scientists for many years. What force was great enough to wipe from the earth not only the Woolly Mammoth but all the other mega fauna that once roamed the planet, from the Sabre Toothed Tiger to the Giant Sloth. These giant beasts all vanished from the fossil record around the same time, but as yet, there are no clear answers as to who or what was responsible for their untimely demise. Were they victims of over hunting from hungry hunters with a taste for mammoth burgers, or did a sudden change in climate cause their extinction? According to Dr Ross MacPhee of the American Museum of Natural History, mammoths and their woolly friends should still be around. "If you give them a shave, they're very much like a modern elephant", MacPhee points out. "These guys are incredibly buffered against extinction." Yet die out they did, and in a relatively short period of time. Ross MacPhee believes the only thing capable of causing such a dramatic extinction was a highly lethal infectious disease. To investigate the hyperdisease theory, Macphee and his team have been analysing woolly mammoth remains from Siberia,�trying�to isolate the super virus he believes wiped out these furry beasts. Peter Evans visits him in New York to find out where this virus might have come from and why it proved so fatal for the mega fauna. RELATED LINKS Hyperdisease Theory Mammoth Site Walking with Beasts: Woolly Mammoth The BBC is not responsible for the content of external websites Audio Help DON'T MISS PREVIOUS PROGRAMMES Current programmes Archived programmes Back to Latest Programme Science, Nature & Environment Programmes Current Programmes Archived Programmes News & Current Affairs | Arts & Drama | Comedy & Quizzes | Science | Religion & Ethics | History | Factual Back to top About the BBC | Help | Terms of Use | Privacy & Cookies Policy