Science in a Minute 112618 Climate Not Early Humans Caused Extinction of Large Mammals

A growing body of scientific evidence suggests the extinction of a number of large mammal species, in Africa, took place around the time our early human ancestors began making and using stone tools and weapons. A new study, however, finds that the extinction of these large and mostly plant eating mammal species was probably due to a long-term environmental change, such as dropping levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide.