A new study on Neanderthal genetics has revealed that certain populations were far more isolated than previously thought. The research, centered on a specimen named Thorin, discovered in France’s Rhone Valley in 1979, suggests that his ancestors did not mix with other Neanderthal groups for 50,000 years. This insularity, coinciding with early Homo sapiens’ arrival in Europe, raises questions about how Neanderthals ultimately met their end around 40,000 years ago.
Thorin’s remains, dating back 100,000 years, represent one of the most complete Neanderthal fossils found in France. Genetic analysis has shown that the last time Thorin’s ancestors interbred with other Neanderthals was tens of millennia earlier, despite genetic evidence suggesting some Neanderthal groups in Spain experienced population replacements during climate shifts. Thorin’s closest genetic match is another Neanderthal from Gibraltar, Spain, yet they were separated by millennia of genetic isolation.
Researchers believe that this long-standing genetic isolation might have contributed to the Neanderthals’ eventual extinction. While modern humans fostered cultural and social ties across Europe, aiding their adaptability, the Neanderthals’ reclusiveness may have limited their ability to respond to changing climates and evolving pathogens.
This study, published in Cell Genomics, sheds light on the complexities behind the Neanderthals’ disappearance, suggesting it was not a dramatic conflict with humans but a gradual process exacerbated by isolation and lack of genetic diversity.
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