Today we’d like to introduce our next project: “Echoes of the Pleistocene: Comparing the Megafaunal Ecosystems of Central Yakutia and Mexico.”

Yakutia and Mexico: 9,000 kilometers apart, yet one big mystery. Why did ancient megafauna disappear? It’s time to find out. You’ll compare facts about the life and extinction of megafauna in two polar regions of the world: cold Yakutia and sunny Mexico. During this project, you’ll feel like a true paleontologist and learn how climate and landscapes changed the appearance of animals, why fossil preservation conditions differ so greatly in these regions, and what exactly wiped out these giants.

On this journey, you will be accompanied by two wonderful mentors: Konstantin Protodyakonov, paleontologist and head of the paleontology department at the Museum of Nature and Man in Khanty-Mansiysk, winner of international scientific competitions, and IRS tutor in 2017 and 2022; and Andrea Dalí Gómez Orozco, an architect and stained glass artist from Puebla, Mexico, passionate about history, geology, and paleontology.
Want to learn more? Welcome to the project page!
https://irschool.org/project_paleontology2026_ru