Short Science, December 7, 2014

Mastodons, the giant cousins of mammoths and elephants, likely disappeared from Alaska and the Yukon long before humans arrived from Asia, researchers say. Mastodons were once believed to have roamed the Arctic alongside the first human colonists some 13,000 to 14,000 years ago, but new evidence suggests they disappeared tens of thousands of years earlier and were not hunted to extinction. Scientists now think that mastodons probably only lived in the Arctic for a short time some 125,000 years ago, when the conditions were warmer. AFP

A union representing 15,000 Canadian government scientists said their right to speak publicly about their work regardless of what they discovered should be addressed in contract talks. The scientists feel they are not allowed to speak freely to the media - especially if findings contradict government positions - because of rules requiring them to seek permission first, according to the Professional Institute of the Public Service of Canada. AFP