The lastest mass extinction

As we discussed in class, the recognition that mass extinctions ocassionally wipe out much of complex creation is a strike against the view of evolution as some grand "March of Progress" with some inevitable trajectory.

Although many believe the latest mass extinction is occurring at this very moment, due largely human activity, there was another large one just 13,o00 years ago. This happened at the end of the last ice age, and the questions was: where did the mastodons and giant ground sloths that used to prowl around here all go??

One theory has long held that humans hunted many of these animals to extinction, and while this may have contributed, the questions still remains was to why the climate shifted so suddenly - no doubt the ned of the ice age has a major facotr in driving many cold-adapted speices to extinction.

Just this week, new evidence is out on this! The possible cuplrit? - meteor impact! Thought to be responsible for other extinctions, evidence points to a recent meteor impact inducing major and rapid climate change. Read the article here, but reflect on what the world lost with those giant ground sloths....