Megafauna Extinction & De-Extinction
Evaluate the debate over what drove Pleistocene megafauna to extinction — human overkill, climate change, or a combination — using evidence from fossil records, ancient DNA, and archaeological sites; connect to the present-day sixth mass extinction and consider the ethics and feasibility of de-extinction using ancient DNA
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If your child heard that scientists are trying to bring back the woolly mammoth using ancient DNA, could they explain what ancient DNA is, what challenges exist, and why some scientists think reviving extinct species might actually help ecosystems?
Evaluate the debate over what drove Pleistocene megafauna to extinction — human overkill, climate change, or a combination — using evidence from fossil records, ancient DNA, and archaeological sites; connect to the present-day sixth mass extinction and consider the ethics and feasibility of de-extinction using ancient DNA
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Check understanding
- Summarises the overkill hypothesis (human hunting pressure) and the climate hypothesis (rapid warming) for Pleistocene megafauna extinction, citing specific evidence for each
- Explains how ancient DNA sequencing from permafrost-preserved specimens provides information about genetics, diet, and relatedness of extinct species
- Evaluates the de-extinction concept — describing what it would take technically and raising at least two substantive scientific or ecological arguments for and against
“If your child heard that scientists are trying to bring back the woolly mammoth using ancient DNA, could they explain what ancient DNA is, what challenges exist, and why some scientists think reviving extinct species might actually help ecosystems?”
Curriculum record
- Type
- Meta
- Subject
- Science
- Domain
- Dinosaurs & Paleontology
- Age range
- Ages 13–14