Mammoths might have declined due to mineral starvation

At the end of the Pleistocene, mammoths of Northern Eurasia used to experience chronic mineral hunger. They became extinct due to geochemical stress arising from deep abiotic changes in ecosystems. Most likely, they were receiving insufficient amounts of essential chemical elements. This hypothesis was developed by TSU paleontologists and based on a large-scale, 15-year research project. Detailed information was published in Archaeological and Anthropological Sciences. Sergei Leshchinsky, head of the Laboratory of Mesozoic and Cenozoic continental ecosystems at Tomsk State University is the first author.

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