A Leading Theory Behind Neanderthal Extinction May Surprise You [View all]

Scientists have long assumed Neanderthals simply lost the evolutionary race against humans. But a new neanderthal extinction theory proved this view a bit more complex.

By Connor Lynch
Jan 4, 2023 1:10 PM

This article was originally published on Nov. 17, 2021.

Humans weren’t always alone on our branch of the primate evolutionary tree. Among our closest cousins, none are better known than the Neanderthals.

Once, the name was an insult we applied to our fellow Homo sapiens — we considered Neanderthals a less sophisticated and intelligent version of ourselves. That view has shifted over time, as has the nature of investigations into the ancient humans’ mysterious disappearance.

While we still can’t be certain, it’s possible that Neanderthals slipped away by chance. Their small, isolated populations scattered throughout Eurasia were always on the brink of extinction.

Our Evolving View of Neanderthals

The hominids known as Neanderthals had a long run. Evidence suggests they emerged in Eurasia at least 400,000 years ago and may have persisted up to as recently as 35,000 years ago in some areas, such as Gibraltar, which is located on the southern tip of Spain.

The first Neanderthal fossil was discovered in Germany in 1856, just three years before Charles Darwin published On the Origin of Species. This finding sparked a flurry of controversy: Some suggested the remains belonged to an unknown species of human; others argued the body came from an ill human. One of Germany's most famous professors suggested he may have been a Russian Cossack who suffered from rickets and crawled in a cave to die during the Napoleonic era, explains Leiden University archaeologist Gerrit Dusseldorp. But the 1886 discovery of similar remains in Belgium quashed that theory.

More:
https://www.discovermagazine.com/planet-earth/a-leading-theory-behind-neanderthal-extinction-may-surprise-you