# Fossil Fails: Weird ideas about how and when Mammoths were "Snuffed Out"

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Text version: https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-fossil-files-7375611/fossil-fails-weird-ideas-about-how-and-when-mammoths-were-snuffed-out.md
Podcast: [The Fossil Files](https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-fossil-files-7375611)
Published: 2026-04-07T04:00:00+00:00
Episode link: https://a94020de-22e2-432b-af22-019fdb3026ee.libsyn.com/fossil-fails-weird-ideas-about-how-and-when-mammoths-were-snuffed-out
Audio file: https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/a94020de-22e2-432b-af22-019fdb3026ee/episode_27_mammoths_edited.mp3?dest-id=5062010
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Duration seconds: 2304

## Resource

How and when did mammoths go extinct? This week we take a look at two bizarre mammoth related "fossil fails". The first is some unexpected results from from the "adopt-a-mammoth" scheme, a fascinating citizen science project trying to find the youngest mammoth fossil to date their extinction. In the second, we take some time to consider the most bizarre hypothesis of mammoth extinction yet: did they sneeze themselves to death as a result of horrible allergies and then get "snuffed out"? Get your skepticism at the ready. The papers we discuss this week are "Adopted mammoths from Alaska turn out to be a whale's tale" by Matthew Wooller and colleagues published in the Journal of Quaternary Science in December 2025 https://doi.org/10.1002/jqs.70040 and "Sense of smell reduction as factor for mammoth's and other mammals extinction" by Gleb Zilberstein and colleagues published in Earth History and Biodiversity in September 2024 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hisbio.2024.100008 . Relevant past episodes of The Fossil Files are #10 "Fossil Fails: A Precambrian beehive and dinosaurs on the moon" and #3 "Is de-extinction a scam?". Wide screen art by James Havens.

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