Neanderthals Faced Extinction Due to Genetic Decline
Why this is here: The study sequenced mitochondrial DNA from late Neanderthals, revealing that nearly all shared a single lineage from the Iberian Peninsula to the Caucasus mountains.
Neanderthals survived for hundreds of thousands of years but ultimately went extinct due to genetic impoverishment. A new study from the Senckenberg Society for Nature Research and the University of Tübingen analyzed DNA from Neanderthal bones and teeth. Researchers found numerous, genetically diverse Neanderthal populations existed across Europe around 400,000 years ago.
Around 75,000 years ago, the number of European Neanderthals decreased drastically. The harsh climate of an ice age likely caused this near-complete disappearance. A group survived in the Mediterranean region, then repopulated parts of Europe when the climate warmed.
Later Neanderthals showed a rapid and strong decline between 45,000 and 42,000 years ago. By 40,000 years ago, the species was extinct, replaced by Homo sapiens. Researchers suggest limited genetic diversity contributed to their demise.