Were prehistoric peoples already capable of causing animal species to extinct? This study investigates bone stress hormones in ancient marine mammals using recently developed analytical techniques to understand whether hunter-gatherer communities 3500 years ago in Hokkaido, Japan, in fact, caused their own downfall by overexploiting coastal marine mammal resources and collapsing their economy as a result. Over time, steroid hormones are deposited in animal and human tooth and bone tissues, reflecting an individual's past levels of stress. Stress hormones hold a particular promise in archaeology, where accurate life-histories of stress and health can elucidate how humans, cultures and animal species adapted and evolved through changing conditions, shocks and natural disasters. This work is also critical to gaining more insights into how different species are coping with the combination of human interference and rapidly changing climate, as our societies look for paths to sustainability.

2024

2028