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Illustration of bison entrapped in asphalt as wildfires rage - illustration by Cullen Townsend
Illustration of bison entrapped in asphalt as wildfires rage - illustration by Cullen Townsend

nature & conservation

Emily Lindsey for New York Times — Ancient Fires Drove Large Mammals Extinct, Study Suggests

UCLA adjunct professor Emily Lindsey discusses the new study she authored for New York Times. The study reveals Southern California’s large mammals did not go extinct due to overhunting — as previously thought — but rather due to human-set wildfires. “It was the biggest extinction event since an asteroid slammed into Earth and wiped out all the dinosaurs,” said Lindsey.