A new study from GreenDrill -- a project co-led by the University at Buffalo to recover rock and sediment buried beneath the Greenland Ice Sheet -- has revealed that the Prudhoe Dome ice cap completely vanished about 7,000 years ago. This is far more recent than scientists had previously believed. The findings, published in Nature Geoscience , show that this elevated region in the northwest part of the ice sheet is highly sensitive to even modest warming. The melting occurred during the Holocene, the relatively stable climate period that began 11,000 years ago and continues today. "This is a time known for climate stability, when humans first began developing farming practices and taking steps toward civilization.…