Siberian Mammoth Research Articles

Oxygen isotope studies of the largest West Siberian mammoth sites and implications for last glacial maximum climate reconstruction

This study examines the isotopic potential of mammoth remains from three paleontological sites in the southeast of the West Siberian Plain (SEWS): Shestakovo, Krasnoyarskaya Kurya, and Volchia Griva. We analysed oxygen isotopes from 29 mammoth enamel and tusk samples and horse and deer enamel samples. We verified sample preservation using ATR-FTIR and obtained δ18Op, δ18Oc, and reconstructed δ18Ow values for 28-22 ka cal BP. Preservation assessments revealed variable preservation conditions. Our findings indicate an increase of 1.4‰ in reconstructed δ18Ow values from glacial levels at 28-23 ka to late-glacial conditions at ca. 17–15.5 ka, likely reflecting climatic warming at the end of the Pleistocene. The extensive fossil material at these sites offers significant potential for further Last Glacial Maximum studies.

Thriving or surviving? The isotopic record of the Wrangel Island woolly mammoth population

The world's last population of woolly mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius) lived on Wrangel Island persisting well into the Holocene, going extinct at ca. 4000 cal BP. According to the frequency of radiocarbon dated mammoth remains from the island, the extinction appears fairly abrupt. This study investigates the ecology of the Wrangel Island mammoth population by means of carbon, nitrogen and sulfur isotope analyses. We report new isotope data on 77 radiocarbon dated mammoth specimens from Wrangel Island and Siberia, and evaluate them in relation to previously published isotope data for Pleistocene mammoths from Beringia and lower latitude Eurasia, and the other insular Holocene mammoth population from St. Paul Island. Contrary to prior suggestions of gradual habitat deterioration, the nitrogen isotope values of the Wrangel Island mammoths do not support a decline in forage quality/quantity, and are in fact very similar to their north Beringian forebears right to the end. However, compared to Siberian mammoths, those from Wrangel Island show a difference in their energy economy as judged by the carbon isotope values of structural carbonate, possibly representing a lower need of adaptive strategies for survival in extreme cold. Increased mid-Holocene weathering of rock formations in the central mountains is suggested by sulfur isotope values. Scenarios related to water quality problems stemming from increased weathering, and a possibility of a catastrophic starvation event as a cause of, or contributing factor in their demise are discussed.

Proteomic and lipidomic analysis of mammoth bone by high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry coupled with liquid chromatography

Investigation of archeological and paleontological artifacts at the molecular level has become a trend over the recent years. Paleogenomics provides information about the evolution of ancient species; paleoproteomics was recently established as branch of conventional proteomics dedicated to the study of proteomes of extinct organisms. At the same time paleolipidomics, which could focus on the investigation of lipids of ancient species, is not developed yet, though the investigation of fossil lipids may have potential to provide information about past diseases or diet. Here we present the investigation of an ancient fossil bone of a Siberian mammoth using combined proteomics and lipidomics approaches based on high-resolution tandem mass spectrometry coupled with liquid chromatography (LC-MS/MS). Using various experimental approaches, we have reliably identified 98 proteins and 73 lipids in three tissue regions of the mammoth bone. We have also compared the proteome profile of ancient mammoth bone with those of a modern elephant.

Who Is Cuba? Dispersed Protagonism and Heteroglossoa in <em>Soy Cuba/I Am Cuba</em>

Soy Cuba/I Am Cuba (Mikhail Kalatozov, CU, 1964) was a collaborative SovietCuban production. It was funded by the Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industria Cinematograficos (ICAIC), founded at the very outset of the Cuban Revolution in 1959, and Mosfilm, the Soviet Union’s largest film production company, established in 1923, six years aft er the Bolshevik Revolution. It flopped both commercially and critically upon its release in 1964 and was largely unknown until the 1990s, when it came to the attention of Martin Scorsese and Francis Ford Coppola, who subsequently promoted it. An interview with Scorsese is included in the latest DVD release of the film, and his insights will be referred to in this article. Soy Cuba, O Mamute Siberiano/Soy Cuba, Siberian Mammoth (Vicenz Ferraz, BR, 2005), an informative documentary on the making of Soy Cuba and its later reemergence, is another important source for any study of the film because it contains interviews with many of the cast and crew of the production, which Ferraz refers to as “a unique film experience.” Th e documentary also gives the distinct impression that authorship of the film was dispersed among various members of the crew. Although it was directed by Georgian Mikhail Kalatozov, whose most notable other films include the early propagandistic documentaries Sol Svanetii/ Salt for Svanetia (SU, 1930) and Lursmani cheqmashi/Nail in the Boot (SU, 1934), as well as the later fiction features Neotpravlennoye pismo/Letter Unsent (USSR, 1959) and Letyat zhuravli/Th e Cranes Are Flying (USSR, 1957), the laconic screenplay was written by both the celebrated Russian poet Yevgeny Yevtushenko and the Cuban scriptwriter Enrique Pineda Barnet. Russian cameraman Sergei Urusevsky, with whom Kalatozov had previously worked on Cranes, was in charge

Biologic Rhythms Derived from Siberian Mammoths' Hairs

Hair is preserved for millennia in permafrost; it enshrines a record of biologic rhythms and offers a glimpse at chronobiology as it was in extinct animals. Here we compare biologic rhythms gleaned from mammoth's hairs with those of modern human hair. Four mammoths' hairs came from varying locations in Siberia 4600 km, four time zones, apart ranging in age between 18,000 and 20,000 years before present. We used two contemporaneous human hairs for comparison. Power spectra derived from hydrogen isotope ratios along the length of the hairs gave insight into biologic rhythms, which were different in the mammoths depending on location and differed from humans. Hair growth for mammoths was ∼31 cms/year and ∼16 cms/year for humans. Recurrent annual rhythms of slow and fast growth varying from 3.4 weeks/cycles to 8.7 weeks/cycles for slow periods and 1.2 weeks/cycles to 2.2 weeks/cycles for fast periods were identified in mammoth's hairs. The mineral content of mammoth's hairs was measured by electron microprobe analysis (k-ratios), which showed no differences in sulfur amongst the mammoth hairs but significantly more iron then in human hair. The fractal nature of the data derived from the hairs became evident in Mandelbrot sets derived from hydrogen isotope ratios, mineral content and geographic location. Confocal microscopy and scanning electron microscopy showed varied degrees of preservation of the cuticle largely independent of age but not location of the specimens. X-ray fluorescence microprobe and fluorescence computed micro-tomography analyses allowed evaluation of metal distribution and visualization of hollow tubes in the mammoth's hairs. Seasonal variations in iron and copper content combined with spectral analyses gave insights into variation in food intake of the animals. Biologic rhythms gleaned from power spectral plots obtained by modern methods revealed life style and behavior of extinct mega-fauna.

Whole-Genome Shotgun Sequencing of Mitochondria from Ancient Hair Shafts

Although the application of sequencing-by-synthesis techniques to DNA extracted from bones has revolutionized the study of ancient DNA, it has been plagued by large fractions of contaminating environmental DNA. The genetic analyses of hair shafts could be a solution: We present 10 previously unexamined Siberian mammoth (Mammuthus primigenius) mitochondrial genomes, sequenced with up to 48-fold coverage. The observed levels of damage-derived sequencing errors were lower than those observed in previously published frozen bone samples, even though one of the specimens was >50,000 14C years old and another had been stored for 200 years at room temperature. The method therefore sets the stage for molecular-genetic analysis of museum collections.

04/01952 Net energy analysis of solar and conventional domestic hot water systems in Melbourne, Australia: Crawford, R. H. and Treloar, G. J. Solar Energy, 2004, 76, (1–3), 159–163

The paper deals with gravels which occur near the present level of the Upper Thames, and below it in terms of selected illustrative examples, mainly of recent discovery. It covers about fifty miles of the river, from the headwaters around Cricklade, where the origin of some pebbles is discussed, to Goring gap, where it is shown that a knick-point in the present river accentuates the relative height of old marginal gravels which lie upstream.The deposits of the Summertown-Radley Terrace around Oxford consist of a lower part, with a fauna characterised by woolly rhinoceros and associated fauna, and an unconformable upper part yielding hippopotamus and associated mammalian and molluscan faunas: Acheulian implements occur. The Flood Plain gravels are now known to contain remains of Siberian mammoth and reindeer, with recently discovered contemporary molluscan fauna and flora, which are described in an Appendix. No human industry has yet been attributed to the Flood Plain gravels.Means of distinguishing between the older Summertown-Radley gravels and the younger Flood Plain deposits, in the field, are explained, and it is shown that low-lying extensions and gravel-filled channels of the former occur locally beneath the latter (as at Lechlade and Dorchester).

AMS Dating Mammoth Bones: Comparison with Conventional Dating

Fossilized Siberian mammoth remains are important indicators of environmental change in the Late Pleistocene. The NSF-Arizona AMS Laboratory radiocarbon results on amino acid separations compare well with mammoth bone collagen from the same specimens treated by HCl and dated by beta counting (the Russian Academy Geological Institute Radiocarbon Laboratory). Neither laboratory was aware of the other's dates for these comparisons. The results coincide very closely (a difference of 50–800 yr), and demonstrate that AMS dating provides a very good perspective for applications of past mammoth population studies.

Nuclear DNA sequences from late Pleistocene megafauna.

We report the retrieval and characterization of multi- and single-copy nuclear DNA sequences from Alaskan and Siberian mammoths (Mammuthus primigenius). In addition, a nuclear copy of a mitochondrial gene was recovered. Furthermore, a 13,000-year-old ground sloth and a 33,000-year-old cave bear yielded multicopy nuclear DNA sequences. Thus, multicopy and single-copy genes can be analyzed from Pleistocene faunal remains. The results also show that under some circumstances, nucleotide sequence differences between alleles found within one individual can be distinguished from DNA sequence variation caused by postmortem DNA damage. The nuclear sequences retrieved from the mammoths suggest that mammoths were more similar to Asian elephants than to African elephants.

Paleontology. Siberian mammoth find raises hopes, questions.

PALEONTOLOGYA team working in Siberia has excavated a huge chunk of permanently frozen sediment containing what it hopes are the remains of a woolly mammoth that died 20,000 years ago. On 17 October the crew airlifted the 22-ton block of tundra to a cavern hewed from the ice on Russia's Taimyr Peninsula, where scientists plan to thaw the block next spring to study what's left of the extinct beast inside--and perhaps even mount an effort to clone it. Expectations are high, but one Russian expert involved in the expedition is pessimistic: He contends that the find's significance has been exaggerated, and the team may end up with little more than 22 tons of dirt and meltwater.

A woolly mammoth (Proboscidea, Mammuthus primigenius) molar from the Hudson Bay Lowland of Manitoba

The first fossil mammal from the Hudson Bay Lowland of Manitoba, a molar from the woolly or Siberian mammoth, Mammuthus primigenius, is described from near Bird. A lophar index of 9.0 and an enamel thickness of 1.5–2.3 mm allow the tooth to be assigned to an early form of the species. Although in situ provenance of the molar is unknown, it is likely that the molar derives from Early Wisconsinan or Sangamon sediments that outcrop in the area. A boreal steppe or steppe–tundra environment is indicated by the presence of woolly mammoth, supporting a depositional environment north of the then tree line previously established for the Nelson River sediments.

Siberian mammoths: Gone to the dogs

Siberian mammoths: Gone to the dogs

On the effects of a sudden change in the albedo of the Earth

Acquisition by the upper atmosphere of some 1014 gm of cometary dust would have major implications on the Earth's climate. Pluvial activity would increase dramatically as temperature differences between sea and land widened. Global distribution of precipitation would be controlled by the density of the dust in the atmosphere; for a partially reflective blanket, a fraction of solar energy would still reach ground level creating new climatic zones. The totally undecomposed state of the interiors of Siberian Mammoths and the curious distribution, often uphill, of erratic boulders point to unbelievably sudden and severe conditions at the onset and possibly end of a glacial period. We suggest that a reflective blanket of particles could produce such conditions.

Notes on the gravels of the Upper Thames Flood Plain between Lechlade and Dorchester

The paper deals with gravels which occur near the present level of the Upper Thames, and below it in terms of selected illustrative examples, mainly of recent discovery. It covers about fifty miles of the river, from the headwaters around Cricklade, where the origin of some pebbles is discussed, to Goring gap, where it is shown that a knick-point in the present river accentuates the relative height of old marginal gravels which lie upstream. The deposits of the Summertown-Radley Terrace around Oxford consist of a lower part, with a fauna characterised by woolly rhinoceros and associated fauna, and an unconformable upper part yielding hippopotamus and associated mammalian and molluscan faunas: Acheulian implements occur. The Flood Plain gravels are now known to contain remains of Siberian mammoth and reindeer, with recently discovered contemporary molluscan fauna and flora, which are described in an Appendix. No human industry has yet been attributed to the Flood Plain gravels. Means of distinguishing between the older Summertown-Radley gravels and the younger Flood Plain deposits, in the field, are explained, and it is shown that low-lying extensions and gravel-filled channels of the former occur locally beneath the latter (as at Lechlade and Dorchester).

Siberian Man and Mammoth

Siberian Man and Mammoth

Problems and facts about frozen Siberian mammoths (Elephas primigenius) and their ivory

Problems and facts about frozen Siberian mammoths (Elephas primigenius) and their ivory

XXXIV.—Note on the skull and mandible of a Siberian mammoth exhibited in the British Museum (Natural History)

XXXIV.—<i>Note on the skull and mandible of a Siberian mammoth exhibited in the British Museum (Natural History)</i>

Human Hibernation

MY letter on the Hibernation of the Siberian mammoth has been followed by two others, extremely interesting, but dealing, I may say exclusively, with the question of human hibernation, and the evidence offered in support of it; this raises a very important consideration, concerning which I ask leave to offer a few remarks:—The “fact,” as stated by Mr. Braid, is that credible persons witnessed the burial of a man in a state of sleep or torpor, and that the same man was dug up alive some months afterwards, Why should we not believe this? The answer is not an easy one, nor can it be given in few words, but is in great measure that the same kind of almost unimpeachable testimony is to be had for any number of astounding occurrences, and that if the testimony is to be believed in one case, why should it not be accepted in all others? why are we driven to be so mistrustful? On this I will only say a few words, as your space is so limited. We know that some 5000 or 6000 years ago there existed a people—the Accadians—who, in their cuneiform writings, have left the most complete account of their daily lives and doings. We learn that these men regulated almost every act by the predictions of magicians, astrologers, or one form or another of impostors. We see, therefore, that the world was even then divided into knaves and dupes, Now this has been clearly going on ever since, and probably for indefinite ages before. The knaves having begun as such, have, for the most part, but by no means exclusively, developed into honest, or partially honest, fanatics; the dupes have greatly developed ther credulity; and the stage had been reached that an individual with a sane and healthy mind was, if he escaped death, held in such disfavour as to stand a very poor chance in the struggle for existence. The scientific and critical revival of late years has arisen, I believe, partly because life is more secure, and toleration more prevalent, the virtually diseased mental condition is allowed to recover itself. To apply these views to the explanation of the particular case in point above referred to, we must remember that the burial was performed by men, descendants of others wholly unscrupulous, magicians, tricksters, who had probably followed the same calling for ages, and acquired an hereditary skill in such deceptions. Those who have witnessed, as I have done, their marvellous feats—for instance, of the native Indian jugglers—cannot doubt but that the case described was at all events within their power.