New research has found evidence that the extinction of Siberian woolly mammoths may have been partly driven by the onset of runaway allergies, stranding “the sick and sneezy with light-coloured tails which could not breathe unassisted,” unable to find mates or feed.
The Death of the Mammoth, Your Allergies
Now, a team of researchers from Israel, Italy and Russia has uncovered a shocking finding that has the potential to change everything we know about why woolly mammoths went extinct.
In a study published in the journal Earth History and Biodiversity, they argue that severe allergies that altered its sense of smell may have plagued the mammoth. This could have led to difficulties for the mammoth in finding food, water, and mates, making its extinction even more likely.
In addition, the scientists detected immunoglobulin E (IgE) molecules against these allergens in antibody responses of sera analyzed from various mammalian species using mast cell degranulation factor and enzyme-linked immunoassays. The researchers speculate that, with the warming climate, pollen-bearing plants, which the mammoths were allergic to (according to their analyses of genes associated with immunity), replaced low-laying shrubs and grasses in the landscape, making it impossible for animals observed precise trading distances.
Why Smell is Important for Mammoths
Today, a strong sense of smell is a built-in part of elephants—but the researchers think this was also likely true for their woolly family members. If mammoths had a bad sense of smell, they wouldn’t be able to identify when there was food about or water — and potential mates — so may find it very difficult not to become extinct.
While earlier studies have identified climate change and human hunting as the main causes of the extinction of woolly mammoths, this research has found that allergies could be a third factor affecting their survival but which has thus far gone unnoticed.
Plants that had never been in the arctics before, with pollen, began to sprout up in mammoth country as the planet warmed – and these could have been used by allergic members of the population. The sudden environment shift might have taxed the mammoth’s immune system, resulting in respiratory problems and a loss of sensitivity over its surroundings.
Conclusion
Though it is too soon to know for sure how much of a role allergies played in the demise of the woolly mammoth, this discovery, if proven true, would be an interesting development that might help create a more comprehensive picture of why this iconic creature was unable to stand the test of time. Climate change and human hunting were long thought to be the main reasons, but the researchers discovered that allergy may also have played a part in adding to the pile of horrors compounding mammoths’ trouble with survival. These findings point to the significance of humanities working in cooperation and inquiry with natural science, a line of research that continues across time, not only considering past but informing our understanding of future—and present.
