Reviewing Carl Jung's "Meaningful Coincidences," Part 2

Reviewing Carl Jung's

"Meaningful Coincidences"

Part 2

by R.E. Slater and ChatGPT

Meaningful coincidences involve both people and events, the cosmos and life around us. Carl Jung took the phrase and coined the word "synchronicity" to describe acausally related connecting events that may be mere curiosities or highly significant when noticed by the affected observer.

In simple terms, synchronicity happens when two or more events occur together in a way that feels purposeful or symbolically resonant, even though there’s no direct cause linking them.

As example: You think about an old friend you haven’t spoken to in years, and they call you that same day. Or, you dream about a symbol, and later that day you see it repeatedly in unexpected places.

Jung saw these moments as expressions of an underlying order of an acausal connecting principle where the inner world (mind, psyche) and outer world (events, reality) are mysteriously aligned.

Jung defined synchronicity as “meaningful coincidences that cannot be explained by cause and effect.” He believed that these events were not just random occurrences, but rather manifestations of a deeper order in the universe.

Carl Jung’s Synchronicity:

Meaningful Patterns in Life

The Living Philosophy

Nov 17, 2024

Synchronicity was coined by psychological pioneer Carl Jung. Its meaning is simple: a "synchronicity" is a “meaningful coincidence”. But it seems that there has been a lot of misreading of Jung going on. In this episode we are going back to Jung’s original definition of Synchronicity in his 1952 work “Synchronicity: An Acausal Principle” to see what he really meant by the term. 

📚 For Further Reading:

• Atmanspacher, H. “The Pauli-Jung Conjecture and Its Impact Today”
• Cambray, J., “Synchronicity as emergence” in “Analytical Psychology: Contemporary Perspectives in Jungian Analysis”
• Cavalli, C. “Synchronicity and the emergence of meaning”
• Jung, C.G. and Pauli, W., “The Interpretation of Nature and the Psyche”
• Jung, C.G. and Jaffé, E., “Memories, dreams, reflections”
• Jung, C.G. “Letters of C. G. Jung vol.1”
• Shinoda Bolen, J., “The Tao of Psychology”
• Main, R., “Synchronicity and analysis: Jung and after” http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13642530701...
• Main, R., “Revelations of chance: synchronicity as spiritual experience”
• von Franz, M. L., “On divination and synchronicity: the psychology of meaningful chance”

Who was Carl Jung?

According to Wikipedia - Carl Gustav Jung (26 July 1875 – 6 June 1961) was a Swiss psychiatrist, psychotherapist, and psychologist who founded the school of analytical psychology. A prolific author of over 20 books, illustrator, and correspondent, Jung was a complex and convoluted academic, best known for his concept of archetypes. Alongside contemporaries Freud and Adler, Jung became one of the most influential psychologists of the early 20th century and has fostered not only scholarship, but also popular interest.

Jung's work has been influential in the fields of psychiatry, anthropology, archaeology, literature, philosophy, psychology, and religious studies. He worked as a research scientist at the Burghölzli psychiatric hospital in Zurich, under Eugen Bleuler. Jung established himself as an influential mind, developing a friendship with Sigmund Freud, founder of psychoanalysis, conducting a lengthy correspondence paramount to their joint vision of human psychology. Jung is widely regarded as one of the most influential psychologists in history.

Freud saw the younger Jung not only as the heir he had been seeking to take forward his "new science" of psychoanalysis but as a means to legitimize his own work: Freud and other contemporary psychoanalysts were Jews facing rising antisemitism in Europe, and Jung was Christian. Freud secured Jung's appointment as president of Freud's newly founded International Psychoanalytical Association. Jung's research and personal vision, however, made it difficult to follow his older colleague's doctrine, and they parted ways. This division was painful for Jung and resulted in the establishment of Jung's analytical psychology, as a comprehensive system separate from psychoanalysis. Scholar Yosef Hayim Yerushalmi believed that what he claims to be Jung's antisemitic remarks may be a clue to the schism.

Among the central concepts of analytical psychology is individuation—the lifelong psychological process of differentiation of the self out of each individual's conscious and unconscious elements. Jung considered it to be the main task of human development. He created some of the best-known psychological concepts, including synchronicity, archetypal phenomena, the collective unconscious, the psychological complex, and extraversion and introversion. His treatment of American businessman and politician Rowland Hazard in 1926 with his conviction that alcoholics may recover if they have a "vital spiritual (or religious) experience" played a crucial role in the chain of events that led to the formation of Alcoholics Anonymous. Jung was an artist, craftsman, builder, and prolific writer. Many of his works were not published until after his death, and some remain unpublished.

Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung

Let's Review

> What is Synchronicity?

Synchronicity is a concept developed by Carl Jung to describe the occurrence of meaningful coincidences that are not causally related but seem to be connected in a deeply significant way.

In simple terms, synchronicity happens when two or more events occur together in a way that feels purposeful or symbolically resonant, even though there’s no direct cause linking them.

For example: You think about an old friend you haven’t spoken to in years, and they call you that same day. You dream about a symbol, and later that day you see it repeatedly in unexpected places.

Jung saw these moments as expressions of an underlying order or acausal connecting principle—where the inner world (mind, psyche) and outer world (events, reality) are mysteriously aligned.

> How is causality opposed to acausality in Jungian terms?

In Jungian terms, causal refers to events that are connected through a linear cause-and-effect relationship—one event directly produces another, as in classical science.

For example: If you drop a glass, it breaks. The falling caused the break. This is causality.

Jung argued that not all meaningful events follow this pattern of cause-and-effect. This is why he introduced synchronicity - to explain events that are not causally related but are psychologically meaningful. He called this an acausal connecting principle.

In short:

• Causality = one event causes another (e.g., physics, biology)

• Synchronicity = there is no cause but there is a (mysteriously) meaningful connection (e.g., an inner dream matches an outer event)

> How are synchronicity and coincidence are similar?

• Coincidence - is a random occurrence of two events at the same time. It carries no inherent meaning. Example: You and a stranger wear the same shirt on the same day.

• Synchronicity (Jung) - is a seemingly random meaningful coincidence. Events are not causally related, but feel psychologically or spiritually significant. Example: You dream of an owl, then the next day someone gives you a gift shaped like an owl and it feels deeply relevant to your emotional state or life question.

Jung’s key point:

• Synchronicity is a coincidence imbued with personal or archetypal meaning.

• While all synchronicities are coincidences, not all coincidences are synchronicities.

> Are "meaningful coincidences" random, seemingly random, or non-random occurrences?

This is central to Jung's idea of synchronicity. In his view, meaningful coincidences are:

Acausal, but not random.

🔹 Not Causally Linked. Jung used the term synchronicity to describe events that coincide meaningfully but have no apparent causal connection.

🔹 Not Purely Random. Though there’s no physical cause, Jung insisted the event isn’t just a fluke. It carries psychic or archetypal meaning—especially when it aligns with an emotional or spiritual state of the person experiencing it. The inner world (psyche) and outer world (event) align in a way that feels deeply personal and significant.

🔹 Though Seemingly Random on the Surface they are Not Non-Random in Depth. On the surface: it looks like coincidence. But under analysis: the person experiencing it feels it as a “message” or moment of transformation.

Summary

Comparing Wilder, Jung, and Whitehead's "Meaningful Occurrences," Part 1

Comparing Wilder, Jung, and Whitehead's

"Meaningful Occurrences"

Part 1

by R.E. Slater and ChatGPT

My last article adjudged how the literist and playwright, Thornton Wilder, had questioned the facticity of the church's teaching on divine determinism in the lives of mankind. Here, in this article, I would like to expand upon Thornton's theological engagement to include Jung's "Meaningful Coincidence" and Whitehead's form of "Synchronicity".

*Literist - Rare usage. The term lends “literary” with the suffix -ist, suggesting one who practices or is skilled in literary craft—perhaps with an emphasis on aesthetic style, narrative richness, or literary tradition.

*Facticity refers to the concrete and given aspects of an individual's existence, the objective facts which shape one's experience and/or limit one's freedom. It encompasses aspects like one's physical traits and characteristics, social context, historical circumstances, and past choices - all of which are not within one's control.

*Synchronicity refers to seemingly meaningful coincidences between acausal events or experiences which lack a causal relationship but seemingly appear connected. These coincidences are often interpreted as having some sort of omen of significance or perhaps spectral / divine message even though they are likely just random occurrences.

On this latter concept, I had earlier discussed "synchronicity" many years ago when reviewing sports writer turned popular author, Mitch Albom's tract, "The Five People You Meet in Heaven." In my August 2011 article entitled, "Divine Synchronicity: What Does It Mean for Christianity?" I used the TV series "LOST" as a corollary discussion to God's interactive presence within humanity's lives in juxtaposition with other (non-Calvinistic) themes.

Thornton Wilder's Determinism

In Thornton Wilder’s tract, "The Bridge of San Luis Rey," it readily appears deterministic on the surface, but as we further investigate Thornton's offerings we begin to suspect it's flirtation with both causal and acausal coincidence... even if he never fully commits to either philosophical concept in metaphysical terms.

🔹 1. Apparent Determinism

Wilder sets up the story with the collapse of an aged Peruvian rope bridge to which the hand of fate seems to be at work. Upon the bridge's failing five "innocents' perish provoking Brother Juniper to diligently investigate a deeply probing theological question weighing upon his heart: "Was the tragedy an accident or was it divinely orchestrated? As his investigations proceed it feels as if the friar's tone is one of determinism.

Why? Because the earnest friar begins at the onset with the assumption that there might have been a divine pattern or intention behind those who lived and those who died. Moreover, the friar wants a cause, even a hidden one - a divine logic that might redeem or explain the horrific tragedy.

And yet, in Wilder’s conclusion, he remained steadfastly ambiguous as an author to which Brother Juniper’s theological system fails and is condemned by the church for his heresy in questioning divine judgment. Thornton then ends his treatise with a literary-theological pivot: “There is a land of the living and a land of the dead and the bridge is love.” This pivot drops causal explanation in favor of a nebulous existential meaning.

🔹 2. Implicit Causal Threads

Each of the five lives which Brother Juniper traces back show an apparent cause-and-effect relationship:

Esteban’s life is shaped by his twin brother’s loss;

Doña María’s ambitions are betrayed in her desperate letters to her daughter;

And Uncle Pío’s mentorship of Camila is florid and intentional.

These backstories reveal relational causality: choices, love, grief, misunderstandings - all leading each actor to their fated moments on the bridge on the same day and appointed hour. And though their acts were not predestined their presence is more-than-causally embedded in the relational flow of their daily routines.

And though I am unfairly running ahead of myself here, from a Whiteheadian view, each of these mortal lives can be viewed as living processual concrescences which are actively integrating past lived choices and reflections to form new demonstrative or expressive acts. As such, Wilder’s causal treatment of the friar's search for a signifying determinism can allow for our Whiteheadian assertion even if Thornton isn’t aware of his schema.

*processual concrescence is the dynamic process by which a new actual occasion (sic, a unit of reality) emerges through the integration and synthesis of past influences, possibilities, and divine aim into a new, unified experience. (More treatment on this concept will be given below).

🔹 3. Acausal Resonance ( = Jungian Synchronicity?)

Yet… there’s more: Why those five? Asks the friar. Why that moment? Why the bridge's failing when wind and rain could have harmlessly undone it?

Here, Wilder invites a sense of synchronicity in the Jungian-style of "acausal meaningful coincidence" - even as he statedly resists giving it a theological label.

Wilder doesn’t say, “God did it.” But neither does he say, “It means nothing.” Instead, the convergence of all five separate lives join together on that fated bridge forcing a seemingly symbolic conclusion which Thornton refuses to enunciate as either determined, fated, or unfortunate. His conclusion? Their deaths catalyze a reflection on love, legacy, and perhaps acausal interconnection.

*Acausality refers to the concept of events happening without a cause, in contrast to causality, which describes the relationship between cause and effect. It suggests that certain phenomena, may occur without a preceding cause.

In this way, the novel feels like an acausal synchronous event even if it narratively rejects any metaphysical certainty.

🔹 In Summary: Wilder’s Layered Coincidence

Coincidence Type	In Wilder’s Narrative	Whiteheadian Interpretation
Deterministic	Brother Juniper’s inquiry, religious judgment	Rejected by narrator; coercive patterns fail
Causal	Life stories showing psychological causality	Matches Whitehead’s prehensive relationality
Acausal	Convergence of five people on the bridge	Feels like synchronicity; divine lure unspoken
Ultimate meaning	“The bridge is love”	Love as the coherence of becoming

Examining Thornton Wilder's Question of "Determinism"

 

The Bridge

A roped bridge spanning a deep chasm gave way,

Five lives were lost - "Was this the will of God?"

Or, "Cost of ravaged time on fraying hemp-thread?"

Asked the friar as his parish shook their saged heads.

The burdened friar searched the pasts of each

Fallen victim for proof or plan that might show

God's justice within each life of fey unfortunate;

How their days were traced, their cares laid bare,

Though no divine pattern could hold them there.

Yet in the failing of the aged, neglected span,

A silence deeper than death's deadly chasm rang,

Hurtling downwards upon a friar's pained heart,

Whether fate, or wrath, or heavenly design,

To echo within sudden tragedy's gaping maw....

And as he looked and prayed he startled found,

Love had shaped each victim's meager course,

As breath gave way there loved remained,

Not nakedly nailed to heaven’s door, but in

Determined assent woven within the core.

Plainly, The Bridge was not God’s answer sent -

But became the space where love had leant,

Subtle instruction forsaken reasoned query,

Slipping all answers 'cept Loving Care,

as aftermath to a sorrow's befallen tragedy.

R.E. Slater and ChatGPT

May 11, 2025

@copyright R.E. Slater Publications

all rights reserved

References to be Read ahead of this article:

• Thornton Wilder - "Our Town"
• Thornton Wilder - The Bridge of San Luis Rey
• Quotes from Thornton Wilder's, "The Bridge of San Luis Rey"

* * * * * * *

Thornton Wilder's Question of  "Determinism"

by R.E. Slater

When reading Thornton Wilder's "Bridge of San Luis Rey" the author and its several mitigants throughout his brief tract asked whether God is involved in everyman's circumstances, including death? And if so, to what extent and for what purpose? Or, if death is but sole cause alone, has become in itself, the cold, cruel process which it is oft times portrayed as heartless claimant to everyman's right to live and die?

In the law, a mitigant - or a mitigating circumstance - is a factor which reduces the severity of a crime or penalty. It becomes not an excuse, nor a justification, for the ill circumstance befallen the injured but serves to explain why a fate might have resulted, or a penalty incurred, especially in light of no known criminal record or blackard sin resulting from the afore sufferers experience of mitigating factors resulting in oppression, injury or death.

In the bible a similar circumstance had befallen 18 unfortunates to which Jesus asked whether they were sinners come to be judged by God? At first, Jesus' inquirers tell of Pilate's factious murder of visiting Galileans to the Temple whom Pilate deemed as "malicious rioters"; Jesus' inquirers posed this question to draw Jesus out politically, whether for-or-against Rome's puppet, Pilate. In answer, Jesus asks his audience whether God judges sin or not by using this illustration:

The Tower of Siloam (Lk 13.1-11)

13.1 There were present at that season some that told Jesus of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

2 And Jesus answering said unto them, "Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they had suffered such things?"

3 I tell you, "Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish."

4 Of those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and had died, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem?

5 I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

6 He spake also this parable; A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and sought fruit thereon, and found none.

7 Then said he unto the dresser of his vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and find none: cut it down; why cumbereth it the ground?

8 And he answering said unto him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it:

9 And if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.

10 And Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.

The common Christian question put forth in all three instances of this parable is whether one's heart has been changed - not whether God is judging sin but whether one's own self has regarded the times and the seasons of life and is ready at all times for ill fortune or death's demise?

From Jesus' observation he dismisses the four assumptions most people make of an assumed befallen tragedy:

1) Suffering is proportional to sinfulness.

2) Tragedy is a sure sign of God’s judgment.

3) Bad things happen only to bad people.

4) We have the right to make such judgments.

To each assumption Jesus says, "No."

1) Suffering is NOT proportional to sinfulness;

2) Tragedy is NOT a sure sign of God's judgment;

3) Bad things DO NOT happen only to bad people; and,

4) We DO NOT have the right to cast such judgments upon others.

Therefore, in answer, to Thornton Wilder's assessment spoken through Friar Juniper and all succeeding voices within his tract, The Bridge to San Luis Rey, we may answer similarly. That the fate befallen the five victims of the broken rope bridge were not being judged by God nor were sinners whose time had come.

Which leaves but the single most pertinent question which Wilder was attempting to answer but couldn't - or, as most critics would say, Wilder was presenting the problem in the form of a question without any interest in answering the question... as it was an exercise in futility.

The question?

Does God determine the course of every life force on earth? Does God command all futures and calamities, all blessings and fortunes, including our deaths?

Framing Wilder's Question

Wilder sets up the collapse of the bridge as a test case for divine determinism. Brother Juniper’s question is blunt: "Why did these five people die and not others?" He tries to prove that God had a reason, perhaps rooted in virtue, vice, or a cosmic plan. His “scientific theology” attempts to rationalize providence's actions or lack of actions.

Ultimately the friar's inquiry fails. His book is burned. The Catholic Church condemns him. And the narrator (Wilder’s voice) concludes not with answers but with the all too casual statement, “The bridge is love.”

So while the novel begins as a deterministic inquiry, it ends with a kind of existential surrender to relational meaning - but not as an explanatory logistical treatment of the expose.

Classical Theology’s Answer

In traditional Christian theology (especially Calvinist: cf, John Calvin), God indeed, determines all things, including:

• Life and death,
• Fortune and fate,
• Who is saved and who is not.

This is known as theological determinism—but it comes with problems:

• It risks making God arbitrary or cruel.
• It undermines human freedom and responsibility.
• It offers little comfort in suffering except “God willed it.”

Thornton Wilder who was raised religiously shows that he is unsettled in this view and does not wish to affirm it. As such he asks the question of God's rightness and justness in willing everyman's life force to its fate or fortune.

A Loving Theology's Answer

Typically, a non-Calvinistic, non-deterministic theological response might be summarily listed using an Arminianist Protestant approach (cf, Jacobus Arminius) emphasizing human free will and the compatibility of God's sovereignty alongside human agency. As such, it reframes the posed question entirely:

• No, God does not determine fate or death.
• Yes, God is present in every moment—but not as controller.

17th Century Arminianism has come a long way since morphing in its journey to become more properly expressed in the current theology known as "Open and Relational" Free will theology. But rather than keeping its philosophical foundation planted in an Western-European ecclectic, if not Platonic et al thought, another more expansive philosophic theology has been gaining traction since it's proposal in the late 19th century spanning both Western and Eastern thought forms.

It is known as process philosophy with its derivative, process theology, and can be found in the sciences such as the quantum physics or processual evolution along with Jungian psychoanalytic thought and Eastern Buddhism per se. It is a more mature, nuanced version of Western thought begun under Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel and articulated through Alfred North Whitehead who himself was dissatisfied with hardheaded Victorianism (cf. Charles Dickens, Oliver Twist or A Tale of Two Cities).

In process theology Wilder's questions may be restated to say:

• God offers possibilities, not guarantees.
• Every event is shaped by past actualities, human decisions, and divine persuasion.
• Death is real—not part of a secret plan; but must be considered as a living process in which all life-forces participate.
• God suffers with us, and holds every life in loving memory.

And so, when five unfortunates, possible innocents, and all vital life-forces within the web of life, fall to their deaths from a breaking backwater Peruvian bridge in the 15th century:

• It is not because God chose it.
• But God is there in the grief, the echoes, the transformations that ripple outward.
• And that is why “the bridge is love”—not control.

A Bridge of Love

God does not chose our fate or fortune but God is there in the grief, the echoes, the transformations of all that ripple outwards to-and-from our lives. And throughout the process of life - whether we describe God's acts as from above, from below, or from the sides and peripheries of life; whether they are seen or unseen, whether they are causal or acausal - in all of God's loving acts is God's patient abiding, presence, and fellowship as we allow God's presence to be felt, experienced, and followed.

Such divine comradery is unlike the church's more dreadful teachings on the fear of God's wrath, punishment, and judgments in this life and the next. As Thornton Wilder observed in The Bridge, whenever one questions the church's teachings on God one may do so at one's peril - as illustrated by the burning at the stake of poor Brother Juniper accused of heresy (who apparently was an actual historical personage according to Wilder's notes) having experienced personal execution at the hands of his fellow parish brothers during the extensive cruel time of the Spanish Inquisition. All in the name of God. To preserve God's fear. God's attribution of Name. And God's severe high holiness.

One might also expect the more common act of excommunication by the church which many a Christian congregant has experienced in times of hardship and peril in today's 20th and 21st century churches of conservative fame and claim.

None of these "Christian acts" is because God chose or directed it. As they were not. But God is assuredly there in the grief, the echoes, the transformations that ripple outward. And it is why the existential or spiritual bridge is always one of divine love and not of divine control.

Conclusion

Those three simple lines capture the process-relational alternative to providential determinism—and when unpacking their meaning deepens both the personal, emotional and theological meaning.

Let’s expand upon them meditatively and metaphysically:

1) “It is not because God chose it.” This is a rejection of divine determinism. In process theology (Whitehead, Cobb, Hartshorne), God is not the author of death, disaster, or tragedy. The universe is not scripted. God does not pick winners and losers, nor orchestrate suffering “for a greater plan.”

Instead, God invites, lures, offers the best possible outcomes given all conditions. Why? Because the world is a real space for real living. Living that can be free, relational, and very fragile. Accidents happen. Choices matter. Structures fail. But to say “God chose it” is to rob the world of its agency and God of divine compassion.

2) “God is there in the grief, the echoes, the transformations that ripple outward.” This is Whitehead’s “consequent nature of God”: God experiences all things with the world. Every joy, every loss, every falling body and breaking heart is registered and felt by God.

God is the cosmic rememberer - holding even death tenderly. But God is more: God becomes the source of transformation. In grief, we may love more deeply. In loss, new connections may arise. In sorrow, beauty may emerge - not as compensation, but as creative consequence. God is not the one who prevents the fall, but the one who walks with those left behind, guiding what comes next.

3) And this is why ‘the bridge is love’ - not control.” This is Wilder’s final line, recast through Whitehead’s lens. “The bridge is love” means: Not that the deaths were meant to happen, but that the lives mattered, and the love they shared transcends any fall.

Love, in process thought, is the coherence of becoming: It’s what binds events together across time. It’s what lingers, deepens, and carries forward. It’s the energy of divine relationality, not divine sovereignty. Control says: This happened because I willed it. Love says: This happened, and I will be with you through it all.

R.E. Slater

May 11, 2025

Proboscidean Biology and History

About 180 million years ago, mammals arose from a reptile-like lineage about the same time as true dinosaurs. About 80 Million years ago, the genetic linage of elephants split from primates. The tree shrew is considered our nearest common ancestor.

It is believed that 50-60 million years ago, Moeritheriums, approximately the size of current day pigs, were the roots from which the proboscideans evolved. Based on both morphological and biochemical evidence, it is generally agreed that the manatees, dugongs, and hyraxes are the closest living relatives of today’s elephants. This is incredible given the vast difference in sizes, external appearance and the fact that these animals occupy completely different habitats.

The order under which Elephants are classified is the Proboscidea. This means animals with trunks=proboscis.

Over the course of evolutionary history, it has been estimated that there have been about 352 species of Probscideans. The creatures of this order have inhabited every continent except Australia and Antarctica. All but two (the African and Asian elephants) have died out. 

Yogi-Land

Yogi-Land

Proboscidean Biology and History

Proboscideans are an order of mammals that includes elephants and their extinct relatives like mammoths and mastodons. They are characterized by a trunk (proboscis) and specialized teeth. Their history spans millions of years, with the earliest proboscideans emerging in Africa around 60 million years ago.

Evolution and History

Early Proboscideans

The first proboscideans were small, pig-like creatures that lacked a true trunk.

Diversification

Over time, proboscideans diversified, evolving into a wide range of species with various sizes, shapes, and adaptations.

Major Radiations

Three major radiations of proboscideans are recognized: the early Paleocene/Eocene diversification, the Miocene expansion outside Africa, and the late Miocene/early Pliocene emergence of Elephantidae (including modern elephants).

iScience - "Proboscidean Phylogeny and Evolution..."

Extinction

Many proboscidean species went extinct during the Pleistocene epoch, likely due to climate change and/or human hunting.

Global Distribution

Proboscideans once thrived on all continents except Antarctica and Australia. Today, they are only found in Africa and Asia.

Biology

• Proboscis - The proboscis is a unique feature of proboscideans, used for grasping food, water, and objects, as well as for communication.

• Teeth and Tusks - Proboscideans have specialized teeth for grinding vegetation, and many species also have tusks (enlarged incisors) used for various purposes.

• Size and Weight - Proboscideans are among the largest land mammals, with some species exceeding 16 tonnes in weight.

• Diet - Proboscideans are herbivores, feeding on a variety of plants and grasses.

• Social Behavior - Elephants, the only living proboscideans, exhibit complex social structures and strong family bonds.

* * * * * * *

Evolutionary Lineage of Mammoths

A recent study analyzing 34 new mammoth mitogenomes, spanning over a million years, reveals a complex evolutionary history, including long-lost genetic diversity and shifts in population size and movement. The study, published in Molecular Biology and Evolution, provides insights into how major demographic events during the Early and Middle Ice Age shaped mammoth diversity.

Key findings

• Complex genetic diversity - The study challenges the idea of a linear lineage, suggesting that mammoths emerged from a complex web of genetic diversity.

• Deep-time genetic data - Analysis of mitogenomes from the Early and Middle Pleistocene periods (1.3 million to 125,000 years ago) provides a unique glimpse into past genetic diversity.

• Siberia as a source - The study indicates that Siberia may have been the original homeland for the main mammoth lineages.

• Population shifts and extinction - Shifts in population size and movement appear to have played a key role in the emergence, spread, and extinction of different genetic groups.

• Three genetic groups - In the Late Pleistocene, mammoths fell into three genetic groups, all of which shared a most recent common ancestor around 780,000 years ago, potentially aligning with the appearance of the woolly mammoth.

* * * * * * *

A Million Years of Mammoth

Mitogenome Evolution

Please explain the oxford article mentioned in the link below. Please exclude all mention of research methodology: A Million Years of Mammoth Mitogenome Evolution

ChatGPT

​The study titled "A Million Years of Mammoth Mitogenome Evolution" presents significant findings about mammoth evolution. By analyzing mitochondrial genomes from 17 mammoth specimens, including some over a million years old, the researchers traced the evolutionary history and migration patterns of mammoths across continents.

Notably, the study provides evidence of interbreeding between different mammoth species, such as woolly and Columbian mammoths, indicating a more complex evolutionary history than previously understood.

These insights enhance our understanding of how mammoths adapted to various environments over time.​

Reference: Oxford Academic+8Oxford Academic+8Oxford Academic+8en.wikipedia.org

Here’s a simplified evolutionary lineage of mammoths, based on the latest genetic and fossil evidence:

---

Mammoth Evolutionary Lineage

1. Ancestral Elephantids (c. 6–7 million years ago)

• Originated in Africa

• Common ancestor of modern elephants and mammoths

2. Mammuthus subplanifrons (c. 5 million years ago)

• Earliest known mammoth

• Lived in Africa

• Ancestor to later mammoth species

3. Mammuthus meridionalis – Southern Mammoth (c. 2.5–1.5 million years ago)

• Migrated to Eurasia

• Browsing diet; lived in warm temperate forests

• Ancestor to more cold-adapted mammoths

4. Mammuthus trogontherii – Steppe Mammoth (c. 1.5 million–700,000 years ago)

• Lived in Eurasia (including Siberia)

• Adapted to colder steppe environments

• Direct ancestor of Mammuthus primigenius (Woolly Mammoth)

5. Mammuthus columbi – Columbian Mammoth (c. 1.5 million–11,000 years ago)

• Migrated to North America

• Likely evolved from early M. trogontherii populations

• Later interbred with M. primigenius

6. Mammuthus primigenius – Woolly Mammoth (c. 400,000–4,000 years ago)

• Cold-adapted; widespread across Eurasia and North America

• Coexisted and interbred with M. columbi

• Last population died out on Wrangel Island ~4,000 years ago

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Here is a detailed overview of various mammoth species, including size comparisons and visual references to help you better understand these magnificent Ice Age giants.

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🦣 Mammoth Species: Size Comparison Chart

Below is a comparative chart of notable mammoth species, highlighting their estimated shoulder heights and weights:​

Species	Shoulder Height	Estimated Weight	Notable Features
M. exilis (Pygmy Mammoth)	~1.8 m (6 ft)	~500–1,000 kg	Dwarf species from California’s Channel Islands
M. primigenius (Woolly Mammoth)	~3.4 m (11 ft)	~6,000 kg	Adapted to cold; thick fur and long, curved tusks
M. meridionalis (Southern Mammoth)	~4 m (13 ft)	~8,000–10,000 kg	Early species; inhabited warmer climates
M. trogontherii (Steppe Mammoth)	~4.5 m (15 ft)	~10,000–12,000 kg	Ancestor to Woolly Mammoth; widespread in Eurasia
M. columbi (Columbian Mammoth)	~4 m (13 ft)	~10,000 kg	One of the largest; roamed North America

Source: Wikimedia Commons

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🖼️ Visual References

To visualize these differences, here are some resources featuring illustrations and size comparisons:

• Mammoth Size Comparison Chart: An illustrative comparison of various mammoth species.
  View on Wikimedia Commons​

• Steppe Mammoth Size Comparison: A detailed depiction of the Steppe Mammoth's size relative to other species.
  View on DeviantArt​

• Woolly Mammoth Images: A collection of high-quality images and illustrations.
  Browse on iStock​

• Columbian Mammoth Photos: Photographs and artistic renderings of the Columbian Mammoth.
  Explore on Getty Images​Adobe Stock+1IELC LibGuides+1

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📚 Additional Information

• Evolutionary Lineage: Mammoths evolved from the ancestral elephantids in Africa around 6–7 million years ago. Species like M. subplanifrons gave rise to later mammoths, which migrated and adapted to various environments across Eurasia and North America. Notably, M. trogontherii is considered a direct ancestor of the Woolly Mammoth (M. primigenius).​

• Distinctive Features: Mammoths are distinguished from modern elephants by their spirally twisted tusks and, in later species, adaptations to cold environments, such as thick fur. ​Wikipedia

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The Evolutionary Lineage

of Mammoths and Elephants

🧬 Evolutionary Lineage of Proboscideans

Proboscideans are a diverse group of mammals that include modern elephants and their extinct relatives, such as mammoths and mastodons. Their evolution spans over 50 million years, originating in Africa and spreading across various continents.​SeaWorld+2royalbcmuseum.bc.ca+2Reddit+2

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📊 Size Comparison Chart

Below is a comparative chart of notable proboscidean species, highlighting their estimated shoulder heights, weights, time periods, and regions:​

Species	Shoulder Height	Estimated Weight	Time Period	Region
Moeritherium	~1 m (3.3 ft)	~200–300 kg	Eocene (~37–35 Mya)	North Africa
Palaeomastodon	~2 m (6.6 ft)	~2,000 kg	Oligocene (~35 Mya)	North Africa
Deinotherium	~4 m (13 ft)	~10,000 kg	Miocene (~20–5 Mya)	Africa, Europe, Asia
Gomphotherium	~3 m (10 ft)	~4,000–6,000 kg	Miocene (~20–5 Mya)	Africa, Europe, Asia, N. America
Mammuthus meridionalis	~4 m (13 ft)	~8,000–10,000 kg	Pliocene (~2.5 Mya)	Europe, Asia
Mammuthus trogontherii	~4.5 m (15 ft)	~10,000–12,000 kg	Pleistocene (~1.5 Mya)	Eurasia
Mammuthus columbi	~4 m (13 ft)	~10,000 kg	Pleistocene (~1.5 Mya)	North America
Mammuthus primigenius	~3.4 m (11 ft)	~6,000 kg	Pleistocene (~400,000 years ago)	Eurasia, North America
Mammuthus exilis	~1.8 m (6 ft)	~500–1,000 kg	Pleistocene (~20,000 years ago)	Channel Islands, California

Note: Mya = Million years ago

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🌍 Visual Representation

To visualize these differences, here are some resources featuring illustrations and size comparisons:

• Mammoth Size Comparison Chart: An illustrative comparison of various mammoth species.
  View on Wikimedia Commons​royalbcmuseum.bc.ca+3Canada (Ontario) Beneath Our Feet+3NPS.gov+3

• Steppe Mammoth Size Comparison: A detailed depiction of the Steppe Mammoth's size relative to other species.
  View on DeviantArt​Reddit

• Woolly Mammoth Images: A collection of high-quality images and illustrations.
  Browse on iStock​

• Columbian Mammoth Photos: Photographs and artistic renderings of the Columbian Mammoth.
  Explore on Getty Images​

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🗺️ Geographic Distribution

Proboscideans originated in Africa and gradually dispersed to other continents:​Reddit+2royalbcmuseum.bc.ca+2SeaWorld+2

• Africa: Home to early species like Moeritherium and Palaeomastodon.​SeaWorld+1royalbcmuseum.bc.ca+1

• Europe and Asia: Inhabited by species such as Deinotherium and Mammuthus trogontherii.​

• North America: Colonized by species like Mammuthus columbi and Mammuthus exilis.​

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