Cookies on this website

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. If you click 'Accept all cookies' we'll assume that you are happy to receive all cookies and you won't see this message again. If you click 'Reject all non-essential cookies' only necessary cookies providing core functionality such as security, network management, and accessibility will be enabled. Click 'Find out more' for information on how to change your cookie settings.

The widespread extinctions of large mammals at the end of the Pleistocene epoch have often been attributed to the depredations of humans; here we present genetic evidence that questions this assumption. We used ancient DNA and Bayesian techniques to reconstruct a detailed genetic history of bison throughout the late Pleistocene and Holocene epochs. Our analyses depict a large diverse population living throughout Beringia until around 37,000 years before the present, when the population's genetic diversity began to decline dramatically. The timing of this decline correlates with environmental changes associated with the onset of the last glacial cycle, whereas archaeological evidence does not support the presence of large populations of humans in Eastern Beringia until more than 15,000 years later.

Original publication

DOI

10.1126/science.1101074

Type

Journal article

Journal

Science

Publication Date

26/11/2004

Volume

306

Pages

1561 - 1565

Keywords

Alaska, Animals, Bayes Theorem, Bison, Canada, China, Climate, DNA, Mitochondrial, Environment, Fossils, Genetic Variation, Genetics, Population, Human Activities, Humans, North America, Phylogeny, Population Dynamics, Sequence Analysis, DNA, Time