[Neanderthal]

"which went extinct 10,000 years ago — although some populations held out for 6,000 more years.

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"I don't think you understand the meaning of extinct."

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I have no idea what that could possibly mean.

[KarlInOhio]

If mammoths went extinct 10,000 years ago, that means they were all dead. No more mammoths. But in the same sentence the author said some lived for 6,000 more years so they weren’t extinct until then. It’s like someone telling his doctor he’s eating healthily — except for the half gallon of ice cream he eats daily. The first phrase is immediately denied by the second.