Uncovering Death by Fire

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https://www.science.org/content/article/raging-wildfires-may-doomed-californias-ancient-megamammals-tar-pit-fossils-reveal

By MICHAEL PRICE, Science. 

Excerpt: Paleontologists have long tried to understand why once-numerous populations of these and other megafauna vanished across North America toward the end of the last ice age. A study published in this issue of Science points to a new catalyst that ties together the two leading hypotheses: human activity and climate change. Each played a role, but fire was the key mediator, the authors argue. In their scenario, when the climate suddenly became warmer and drier toward the end of the last ice age, human-caused blazes grew out of control, permanently altering the landscape—and spelling the end for the animals....

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