As the Arctic warms faster than anywhere else on Earth, animals that have evolved to survive the cold face unprecedented challenges. While scientists are learning more about how modern wildlife responds to environmental change, we still know little about how species coped in the past.
Our new study investigates the oldest-known diverse animal community from the European Arctic, dating back 75,000 years. Preserved deep inside a cave in northern Norway, it offers a rare insight into how Arctic ecosystems functioned during a slightly warmer phase of the last ice age.