A 75,000-y-old Scandinavian Arctic cave deposit reveals past faunal diversity and paleoenvironment

• Published in: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences - PNAS Vol. 122; no. 32; p. e2415008122
• Main Authors: Walker, Samuel J., Boilard, Aurélie, Henriksen, Mona, Lord, Edana, Robu, Marius, Buylaert, Jan-Pieter, Beijersbergen, Liselotte M. Takken, Halvorsen, Lene Synnøve, Cintrón-Santiago, Adriana M., Onshuus, Emma Katrin, Cockerill, Christopher Alan, Ujvari, Gabor, Palcsu, László, Temovski, Marjan, Maccali, Jenny, Linge, Henriette, Olsen, Jesper, Aksnes, Sverre, Bertheussen, Anastasia, Lygre, Ola, Alsos, Inger G., Dalén, Love, Star, Bastiaan, Hufthammer, Anne Karin, van Kolfschoten, Thijs, Lauritzen, Stein-Erik, Lødøen, Trond Klungseth, Boessenkool, Sanne
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States National Academy of Sciences 12.08.2025
• Subjects: Animals; Arctic Regions; Biodiversity; Biological Sciences; Bone and Bones - chemistry; Bone composition; Bones; Caves; Climate change; Environmental conditions; Fauna; Flora; Fossils; Freshwater ice; Geologic Sediments - analysis; Glacial periods; Glaciers; Global warming; Ice Cover; Norway; Paleontology; Phylogeny; Sea ice; Sediments; Taxa; Thorium; Uranium; Arctic Regions; Norway; Arctic region; ancient DNA; Weichselian; bulk-bone metabarcoding; paleozoology; Europe

During the last glacial period (~118 to 11.7 ka), the Arctic has been characterized by a major redistribution of flora and fauna as a consequence of extreme climatic fluctuations, with associated glacial advances and retreats, sea-level changes, and shifting sea ice extent. In the high-latitude regi...