The work could also reveal something about the planet’s future. At a site called Lucky Lady Mine are layers of earth that date back roughly 100,000 years to the last interglacial period, the interlude between the advances of glaciers across the Northern Hemisphere. Back then the world was warmer than it is today, so analyzing sediment from that time could shed light on the global warming the planet is experiencing now, Froese remarks. (He discovered the site after meeting the Lucky Lady Mine’s owner, a paleontology enthusiast, at the Snake Pit bar in Dawson City.)

At one point, when we are mired deep in muck, I ask MacPhee whether this is the glamorous life of a paleontologist. He smiles and replies, “You can’t beat it.”

Note: This article was originally printed with the title, "Mammoth Sequences".

This article was originally published with the title Mammoth Sequences.

4 Comments

1. 1. jeff Lusahbaugh 04:53 AM 8/20/08

   These guys are digging in the wrong place. Alaska looks like the mass extinction of the wooley mammoth. Alaska has a mass burial of these elephants Look for two species there. According to my theory died out in Ecuiador perhaps 60,000 years ago. They need to dig where that campfire was found S. Americans date it at 60k but Europeans date it sooner.
   It looks like super migets chase the Colombian Elephant across the world perhaps 100k years ago..

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

2. 2. hotblack 02:08 AM 9/1/08

   That's great! It's work like this that's inspiring. Makes me want to abandon my pointless career in ID to shlep their gear & whatnot. I love these articles, but they always make me realize I'm in the wrong line of work.

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

3. 3. doug 1 08:21 AM 9/1/08

   Very Interesting. I do wish that they'd menitoned the current theory of Pleistocen extinction that is generating so much interest; the series of cosmic events which culminated in the 12.9KYA impact over northeastern Canada.

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this

4. 4. m1rv9n41v5 04:50 AM 9/2/08

   so its rediculous,,,,they are digging 4 a wrong place....idiot!!!

   Reply | Report Abuse | Link to this