Genetic Study Reveals Early Neanderthal Population Decline
A recent genetic analysis indicates that Neanderthals experienced a significant population decline approximately 65,000 years ago, long before their eventual extinction.
Recent genetic research has uncovered that Neanderthals underwent a substantial population decline around 65,000 years ago, well before their extinction approximately 40,000 years ago. This decline, identified through mitochondrial DNA analysis, suggests a genetic bottleneck that significantly reduced their numbers and diversity.
The study, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, analyzed ancient DNA from a Neanderthal fetus discovered in the Sesselfelsgrotte cave in Germany. The findings indicate that this bottleneck event led to a loss of genetic variation, making Neanderthals more susceptible to environmental changes and other pressures.
Professor Thorsten Uthmeier from Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg noted that the climatic conditions between 65,000 and 60,000 years ago, characterized by extreme cold and dryness, likely triggered the retreat of Neanderthals to isolated refugia and the extinction of certain lineages.
This research provides new insights into the complex demographic history of Neanderthals, highlighting that their decline was a prolonged process influenced by environmental factors and genetic vulnerabilities, rather than a sudden event coinciding with the arrival of modern humans.