The extinction of North American megafauna at the end of the Pleistocene is a debated topic. This study uses a new Bayesian regression technique (Radiocarbon-dated Event-Count [REC] Modelling) to analyze the largest available database of megafauna and human radiocarbon dates. Results show no persistent relationship between human and megafauna population levels, but a correlation between decreasing global temperatures and megafauna population declines, challenging the 'overkill' hypothesis.

Mathew Stewart, W. Christopher Carleton, Huw S. Groucutt