Woolly mammoths and other extinct animals from Ice Age find new life in the metaverse

By Tom Campbell via SWNS

Woolly mammoths and other Ice Age creatures have been brought back to life...in the metaverse.

People can see what the now-extinct animals looked like in augmented reality (AR) using their mobile phones, say scientists.

Many pictures of what extinct animal species looked like when they were alive and kicking, known as paleoart, have been produced over the years.

But these artistic reproductions have not received the same amount of scrutiny as other scientific research.

As a consequence, many misleading images have been shared far and wide in popular media and academic publications for generations.

Now scientists in the United States have come up with a way of painting a more accurate three-dimensional picture of these animals.

Co-author Dr. William Swartout at the University of Southern California (USC) said: "The innovation of this approach is that it allows us to create scientifically accurate artwork for the metaverse without overcommitting to details where we still lack good fossil evidence.”

The researchers came up with the idea while studying how AR impacts learning in museums and realizing there were no accurate Ice Age animals in the metaverse.

They created more than a dozen scientifically accurate virtual models of Ice Age animals that once prowled around the La Brea Tar Pits in California.

The models were created using a "blocky style" which is scientifically accurate, but also simple enough for mobile phones with limited processing power to run.

People can come face-to-face with these extinct creatures through Snapchat and Instagram, as well as Sketchfab.

They can choose from a saber-toothed cat, dire wolf, Shasta ground sloth, Harlan’s ground sloth, American lion, Columbian mammoth, American mastodon, Western camel, ancient bison, dwarf pronghorn, Western horse, teratorn and short-faced bear.

These virtual recreations will help people understand how much is known about their physical appearance, the researchers say.

This often depends on what kind of remains have been discovered and whether they were well preserved.

Many fossils of extinct animals ranging from mammoths to insects have been discovered in the La Brea Tar Pits, the only consistently active and urban Ice Age excavation site in the world.

Senior author Dr. Emily Lindsey said: "Paleoart can be very influential in how the public, and even scientists, understand fossil life."

For example, the shaggy fur of Shasta ground sloths can be re-created because scientists have discovered a whole skeleton with hair and skin still preserved.

But the thick fur pelt of mastodons was an artistic decision given only a few strands of its hair have been retrieved.

Lead author Dr. Davis said: "We think paleoart is a crucial part of paleontological research.

"That’s why we decided to publish all the scientific research and artistic decisions that went into creating these models.

"This will make it easier for other scientists and paleoartists to critique and build off our team’s work.”

The findings were published in the journal Palaeontologia Electronica.