Mystery of Neanderthal Extinction Deepens as Study Finds Climate and Competition Not Sole Causes

Neanderthal extinction resulted from a analyzable premix of geography, demographics, and determination pressures. Credit: GreekReporter Archive

A caller survey finds that neither clime alteration nor contention with aboriginal modern humans afloat explains the Neanderthal extinction from Europe astir 40,000 years ago. The probe challenges long-held assumptions astir what wiped retired these past people.

The study was led by Ariane Burke, an anthropologist astatine the University of Montreal’s Department of Anthropology. Her squad utilized situation modeling and geographic investigation tools to representation wherever Neanderthals and aboriginal Homo sapiens lived crossed Europe during a play of crisp clime swings.

The findings, published successful Quaternary Science Reviews, constituent to a acold much analyzable communicative shaped by geography, colonisation structure, and determination differences.

The models showed that suitable situation for Neanderthals remained disposable crossed Europe adjacent during the coldest periods, known arsenic stadials. Climate accent unsocial was not capable to relationship for Neanderthal extinction.

Key refuges successful southwestern Europe, peculiarly successful the Franco-Cantabrian portion and confederate Iberia, held unchangeable conditions that could person supported populations done clime downturns and allowed for betterment afterward.

Southwest Europe held steadfast arsenic a important clime refuge

For Homo sapiens, the representation looked different. Their situation prime improved importantly during warmer periods called interstadials. Burke and colleagues recovered that Sapiens populations astir apt dispersed westward on Mediterranean coastal routes during those warmer windows.

Neanderthals successful St. Michael’s Cave, Gibraltar. Credit: Yulia S, CC-BY-3.0 / Wikimedia Commons

The survey besides recovered that Neanderthal and Sapiens territories overlapped, but lone slightly. The overlap ne'er exceeded 5 percent of the disposable situation for either group.

Burke explained that differences successful however each radical utilized the scenery apt reduced nonstop unit betwixt them. This uncovering weakens the statement that assets contention drove Neanderthals out.

A much telling vulnerability emerged successful the operation of Neanderthal societal networks. Their determination connections were weak, peculiarly betwixt occidental and southeastern Europe.

Sapiens networks, by contrast, were amended linked crossed the continent. This spread near Neanderthal populations much exposed to random events and demographic pressures, including gradual familial absorption into the expanding Sapiens cistron pool.

Neanderthal extinction neither driven by clime nor competition

The determination representation besides varied considerably. In Western Europe, wherever the halfway habitats of some groups overlapped, Sapiens whitethorn person played a much nonstop relation successful the diminution of section Neanderthal populations.

In southeastern Europe, weakly connected Neanderthal groups whitethorn person been undone much by interior demographic and familial vulnerabilities than by extracurricular pressure.

Burke and the probe squad concluded that the replacement of Neanderthals was not a azygous single lawsuit driven by 1 cause. It was the result of antithetic pressures playing retired successful antithetic ways crossed the continent.