Ross Barnett: Why should we be interested in prehistoric animals that aren’t dinosaurs?

<p>In this week's episode of the <em>Science Focus Podcast</em> we’re investigating long-extinct animals. No, not dinosaurs, they get plenty enough coverage already. Instead, we’re going to look at creatures that lived in the Pleistocene era, a period of time that covered the last known ice age.</p><p>During this period enormous creatures roamed the Earth, with some surprising animals making what we now know as the British Isles their home.</p><p>What makes these often-enormous animals so interesting is that they lived side-by-side humans and other early human species, which means we have more than just fossilised bone fragments to learn from - we have cave art, sculpture, tools and even cooking utensils that we can use to build our understanding.</p><p>Ross Barnett is a palaeontologist, whose recent book <a href="https://www.bloomsbury.com/uk/the-missing-lynx-9781472957344/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"><em>The Missing Lynx: The Past and Future of Britain's Lost Mammals</em></a> (£16.99, Bloomsbury Wildlife) explores the story of Britain’s lost megafauna.</p><p>He speaks to our online assistant Sara Rigby about Britain’s biggest beasts, humans’ role in their extinction, and what they can teach us about the future of conservation.</p><ul><li><strong>Subscribe</strong>&nbsp;to the&nbsp;<em>Science Focus Podcast</em>&nbsp;on these services:&nbsp;<a href="https://www.acast.com/science-focus-podcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Acast</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://itunes.apple.com/gb/podcast/science-focus-podcast/id1296673906?mt=2" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">iTunes</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.stitcher.com/podcast/immediate-media-2/science-focus-podcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Stitcher</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://rss.acast.com/science-focus-podcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">RSS</a>,&nbsp;<a href="https://overcast.fm/itunes1296673906/science-focus-podcast" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Overcast</a></li></ul><p>Let us know what you t