Mammoths in UK later than thought

Mammoth bones found in Shropshire, England provide the most geologically recent evidence of woolly mammoths in the UK and North Western Europe. The new evidence proves that mammoths existed in Britain long beyond when they were previously believed to have become extinct.

The bones, of one adult male and at four baby mammoths, were first excavated in 1986, but back then the carbon dating used was not as accurate as today. Consequently the extinction date has been advanced from 21,000 years ago to roughly 14,000 years ago.

"The new dates of the mammoths' last appearance correlate very closely in time to climate changes when the open grassy habitat of the Ice Age was taken over by advancing forests, which provides a likely explanation for their disappearance," said Lister. "There were humans around during the time of the Condover mammoths, but no evidence of significant mammoth hunting."

Instead of a pole shift, or other global cataclysm that seems to have occurred in that era, the best explanation for the mammoth's extinction these particular scientists can come up with is "advancing forests". Sounds like something out of LOTR...

Settlers Took a 20,000 Year Rest in Beringia?

According to the new theory, humans heading east after leaving Asia about 40,000 years ago were blocked by two huge glaciers that met at present-day Alaska.

With no way forward, the humans settled on the land bridge, called Beringia, that connected Asia and North America.

There they remained for 20,000 years. Beringia was cold and harsh, comparable to winters in modern-day Siberia. Small populations of mammoth, bison, caribou, and other animals provided sustenance for the migrants.

It's a theory designed to make sense of some DNA research. In my mind it has a serious flaw - rather than spend 20,000 years in a cold, harsh place - why didn't they just go back the way they came?