Speaker: Andrew Lints
NOTE: DATE CHANGE - September 22, 2026
Recent experiments by the genetics company Colossal have sparked significant public interest in the de-extinction of large Pleistocene mammals, such as mammoths (Mammuthus sp.). At the same time, these efforts draw renewed attention to archaeological theories from past and present concerning why these animals became extinct and the role humans may have played in this process. This discussion will consider those interpretations while examining how archaeologists have developed and revised their explanations over time. Drawing on recent research into the diets, foraging habits, possible breeding patterns, and expected behavioural responses of Ice Age fauna, we will evaluate whether cloned modern specimens are likely to provide answers beyond that archaeology has already offered.