Neanderthals in the News

[Recusant]

Maybe the Neanderthals were absorbed by our species rather than simply going extinct. On the other hand an earlier post in this thread describes a steep decline in population of both Neanderthal and anatomically modern humans in the Neanderthal's range. The paper below appears to land on the "same species" side of the discussion. 

"Neanderthals May Never Have Truly Gone Extinct, Study Reveals" | Science Alert

Neanderthals may have never truly gone extinct, according to new research – at least not in the genetic sense.

A new mathematical model has explored a fascinating scenario in which Neanderthals gradually disappeared not through "true extinction" but through genetic absorption into a more prolific species:

Us.

According to the analysis, the long and drawn-out 'love affair' between Homo sapiens and Neanderthals could have led to almost complete genetic absorption within 10,000–30,000 years.

[. . .]

Like all models, this new one is based on imperfect assumptions. It uses the birth rates of modern hunter-gatherer tribes to predict how quickly small Neanderthal tribes would be engulfed by a much larger human population, given how frequently it seems we were interbreeding.

The results are consistent with recent archaeological discoveries and align with a body of evidence that suggests the decline of Neanderthals in Europe was gradual rather than sudden.

Homo sapiens seem to have started migrating out of Africa much earlier than scientists previously thought, and they arrived in Europe in several influxes, possibly starting more than 200,000 years ago.

As each wave of migration came crashing into the region, it engulfed local Neanderthal communities, diluting their genes, like sand pulled into the sea.

[Continues . . .]

The paper is open access:

"A simple analytical model for Neanderthal disappearance due to genetic dilution by recurrent small-scale immigrations of modern humans" | Nature Scientific Reports

Abstract:

The disappearance of Neanderthals remains a subject of intense debate, with competing hypotheses attributing their demise to demographic decline, environmental change, competition with Homo sapiens, or genetic assimilation.

Here, we present a mathematical model demonstrating that small-scale Homo sapiens immigrations into Neanderthal populations, providing recurrent gene mixing, could have led to almost complete genetic substitution over 10,000–30,000 years. Our model, grounded in neutral species drift, does not require selective advantage or catastrophic events but shows that sustained gene flow from a demographically larger species could account for Neanderthals' genetic absorption into modern humans within a time-frame consistent with archaeological evidence.

This scenario aligns with growing evidence of interbreeding and genetic introgression through recurrent H. sapiens immigration waves, providing a parsimonious explanation for the observed patterns of Neanderthal ancestry in present-day Eurasian populations. Although other factors may have contributed to the decline of Neanderthals, our results highlight genetic admixture as a possible key mechanism driving their disappearance.

[Recusant]

If evidence accumulates supporting this ^^^ hypothesis, the "different species" position that I currently favor will be on the ash heap. They can't be a different species if our species basically swallowed them, genetically. 

[Dark Lightning]

I read the original article over there. Kind of a shame to simply be assimilated, but I'd have to say that they migrated from the original, evolved a bit and then got bred back in.

[Recusant]

Yeah, love conquers all, given a broad definition of "love." 

If true, perhaps the same fate befell the Denisovans, given their genetic presence in the modern human genome. I believe I recall that there's genetic evidence of yet a third population that doesn't have a proper name yet.

[Dark Lightning]

Homo Sap. = Borg?

Resistance is futile. You will be assimilated.

 

[Recusant]

It probably was inevitable once we (anatomically modern humans) had developed in Africa. While the Neanderthal evolved to thrive in their territories, in comparison we're adaptable generalists. We just kept coming--the paper talks about the idea of multiple waves of AMH coming out of Africa over a very long time.

[zorkan]

How did Neanderthals start a love affair with humans?
Maybe with a simple peck on the cheek.

https://www.theguardian.com/science/2025/nov/19/neanderthals-early-humans-kissed-research-evolution

[Recusant]

Cool. The paper is open access:

"A comparative approach to the evolution of kissing" | Evolution and Human Behavior

However it happened we shared a particular part of our oral microbiome with Neanderthals.

While modern humans and Neanderthals diverged sometime between 450 and 750 ka, the oral microbe we share (Methanobrevibacter oralis) only separated into distinct strains between 112 and 143 ka (Weyrich et al., 2017). This suggests that commensal microbial species were transferred between modern humans and Neanderthals for some time after the two species split.

[Recusant]

A hypothesis about the disappearance of Neanderthal. Considering that as a species they were around for a relatively long time and were apparently successful, if not as ridiculously dominant as Homo sapiens, the question is: Did something change to bring about this problem?

"Pregnancy complications may have helped wipe out Neanderthals" | Phys.org

Neanderthals disappeared from the fossil record approximately 40,000 years ago. Their extinction was a gradual process over thousands of years, and theories as to why include competition with modern humans and rapid climate change. However, there may have been other contributory factors: preeclampsia and eclampsia.

A new study published in the Journal of Reproductive Immunology suggests that these potentially life-threatening pregnancy complications may have been more severe in our extinct cousins.

Human fetuses are exceptionally energy-demanding owing to their large brains. To meet this demand, the placenta needs to embed deeply into the mother's uterine wall so that blood can flow freely to the fetus. However, if it does not invade deeply enough or remodel the mother's arteries, blood flow is reduced. It then sheds microscopic debris into the mother's blood, signaling that it is under stress.

The mother's body may react by raising its blood pressure, leading to preeclampsia or even eclampsia—the most severe, human‑specific complications of pregnancy. However, this does not always happen. In many cases, when the placenta fails to invade deeply, the mother does not develop preeclampsia. Clinical data suggest that roughly three quarters of fetuses with vascular, growth‑restricted placentas are carried by women who do not show preeclampsia, indicating a significant protective effect. For reasons not yet fully understood, the body sometimes dampens or ignores the placenta's stress signals, which helps protect the mother from dangerous high blood pressure. The baby may be born small as a result, but the mother stays healthy.

In this new study, an international team of physicians and researchers proposes that Neanderthal women lacked this protective mechanism. Consequently, struggling pregnancies may have triggered life-threatening high blood pressure or seizures, significantly reducing reproductive success.

The scientists based this idea on a comparison between modern medical records and ancient Neanderthal DNA. They identified genetic differences that may have affected how pregnancy-related blood pressure is regulated.

[Continues . . .]

The paper is behind a paywall.

Abstract:

Preeclampsia and eclampsia, unique to human reproduction, represent the first disease documented in written history over 5000 years ago, yet their etiology remains elusive in 2026. These disorders, exclusive to Homo sapiens among 4300 mammal species, may have posed an even greater reproductive challenge to Neanderthals, potentially contributing to their poor fecundity.

Arising from incomplete deep trophoblast invasion into maternal spiral arteries, essential for nourishing the energy-demanding fetal brain, they lead to placental insufficiency and fetal growth restriction (FGR). In humans, eclampsia (grand mal seizures) occurs naturally in ∼1 % of pregnancies, while preeclampsia affects 2–8 %, with untreated cases carrying high maternal and fetal mortality.

Predominantly affecting primiparas [first pregnancy] and multiparas with a new partner ("primipaternity"), early-onset preeclampsia (EOP; delivery <34 weeks) results from failed maternal immune tolerance to paternal antigens, causing partial fetal rejection and inadequate artery remodeling. This manifests as FGR with or without maternal syndrome.

Critically, humans evolved a protective mechanism decoupling maternal preeclampsia from ∼75 % of placental FGR cases, averting life-threatening complications. Without this safeguard, preeclampsia rates could soar to 10–20 %, with eclampsia at 4–5 %, severely impeding reproductive success.

Neanderthals, sharing deep hemochorial placentation but possibly lacking this adaptation due to genetic divergences (e.g., imprinted genes, KIR-HLA interactions, PIEZO1 variants), likely suffered higher incidences, exacerbating demographic vulnerabilities like small populations and inbreeding. This hypothesis bridges a gap in paleoanthropology: preeclampsia, the principal human reproductive complication, is never cited by anthropologists as possible explanation of the well-known low fecundity rates in Neanderthals communities.

[billy rubin]

natural selection in action.

[Recusant]

It's well known that certain groups of our species have engaged in cannibalism. It seems our Neanderthal relatives did the same.

Many years ago I was given The Iceman Inheritance to read. Essentially the author claims that Caucasians interbred with Neanderthals (at the time the book was written this was by no means confirmed) and certain racial traits came from that Neanderthal contribution to the DNA of Caucasians. It was an intriguing proposition but not particularly convincing, in my opinion. Those traits can be roughly characterized as "tendency to be territorial, possessive, and aggressive." Caucasians, because of their Neanderthal DNA according to the author, are less likely to play nice than the rest of the species.

Given what I know of history and science, I now go beyond skepticism regarding the author's assertions and reject them as bullshit.

Cruelty and aggression are common among all of our species and I don't think Caucasians can claim (or be branded with) a greater tendency and capacity in that direction. I think it's becoming clearer that Neanderthals were not any better or worse than our species when it comes to behavior.

"Neanderthals may have hunted and eaten outsiders, chilling cannibalism study finds" | ScienceDaily

A new study of Neanderthal remains from a cave in Belgium is shedding light on a disturbing aspect of prehistoric life. Researchers analyzing human bones from the Troisième caverne of Goyet (Belgium) found evidence that Neanderthals engaged in selective cannibalism between 41,000 and 45,000 years ago. The remains show that adult women and children were the primary victims.

For the first time, scientists were able to build a biological profile of the individuals whose bones were found at the site. Their findings suggest these people did not belong to the local Neanderthal group living in the area. Instead, they likely came from elsewhere and were brought to the cave.

The condition of the bones provides key clues about what happened. Many show marks consistent with cutting, breaking, and processing, similar to the way animals were hunted and prepared for food. In particular, the lower limbs appear to have been selected, and the bones were deliberately broken open to extract nutrient-rich marrow.

This pattern strongly suggests the bodies were not treated in a ceremonial or ritual way. Instead, the evidence points to cannibalism for food. The same techniques used on animal prey were applied to these human victims, indicating they were processed as a source of nutrition.

[Continues . . .]

The paper is open access.

"Highly selective cannibalism in the Late Pleistocene of Northern Europe reveals Neandertals were targeted prey" | Nature Scientific Reports

Abstract:

The Troisième caverne of Goyet has yielded the largest assemblage of Neandertal remains in Northern Europe with clear evidence of anthropogenic modifications. However, its skeletal fragmentation has long limited detailed morphological and behavioural study on the assemblage.

In this study, we integrate palaeogenetic, isotopic, morphometric, and structural analyses of the long bones to assess the biological profiles of the Neandertals from Goyet and explore whether they present particularities that could shed light on the formation of this unique cannibalised assemblage. We identify a minimum of six individuals, including four adult or adolescent females.

Compared to Homo sapiens and Neandertals—including regional specimens—the females from Goyet display short statures and reduced diaphyseal robusticity of their long bones. They lack skeletal markers associated with high mobility despite isotopic evidence for non-local origins. The overrepresentation of short, morphologically gracile, non-local females, alongside two immature individuals, suggests a strong selection bias in the individuals present at the site.

Dated between 41,000 and 45,000 years ago, a period marked by Neandertal cultural diversity, biological decline and the arrival of Homo sapiens in Northern Europe, the cannibalised female and juvenile Neandertals from Goyet indicate exocannibalism, possibly linked to inter-group conflict, territoriality, and/or specific treatment of outsiders.

[Icarus]

I suspect that instances of cannibalism may have been more of a survival mechanism than a tendency toward aggressiveness. 

[Recusant]

This is a bit amazing to me. Neanderthal dentistry?

"The Earliest Known Dentistry Wasn't Done By Our Species" | ScienceAlert

A 60,000-year-old Neanderthal tooth left behind in a cave in modern-day Russia contains a deep hole that cannot be explained by decay alone.

The tooth is a molar from the lower left jaw of a Neanderthal, an extinct relative of modern humans.

This prehistoric human had a bad tooth infection, probably for a long while.

At a time when finding food was difficult enough and pain relief was in its infancy, a toothache that prevented a person from eating could become a life-or-death matter.

Eventually, it must have become such a problem for this Neanderthal that they were willing to go to extreme measures to relieve it.

According to a team of scientists from institutes across Russia, the pained individual likely did so by performing a sort of prehistoric root canal: drilling the tooth with a sharp stone tool to remove the damaged pulp (or more likely, getting a friend to do it – gulp).

If the team is right in their interpretation, it suggests Neanderthals conducted some clever dentistry. They may have known they could salvage an infected tooth if they removed the pulp and just left the rest.

What's more, the tooth "currently represents the earliest known evidence of intentional dental intervention", the team writes in their paper. Previously, that distinction had belonged to Homo sapiens.

[Continues . . .]

The paper is open access:

"Earliest evidence for invasive mitigation of dental caries by Neanderthals" | PLOS One

Abstract:

Neanderthal medical knowledge has long attracted scholarly interest. Evidence suggests they cared for sick, injured, and elderly group members, with possible use of medicinal plants. However, it remains uncertain whether such practices reflect deliberate medical strategies or instinctive self-medication akin to that observed in non-human primates.

Here, we analyze and interpret traces of deliberate artificial manipulation of Chagyrskaya 64, a Neanderthal lower left second molar found in Chagyrskaya Cave (Altai Krai, Russia). The tooth exhibits a large human-generated concavity on the occlusal surface, created during the lifetime of the individual. Traceological and microtomographic analyses of the observed modifications, combined with experimental verification, reveal that the concavity in Chagyrskaya 64 is indicative of the earliest documented instance of caries treatment involving the drilling/rotating with a lithic perforator, ca. 59 ka [59 million years ago].

Evidence of two distinct types of manipulations requiring different tools, in addition to the drilling/rotating technique, necessitating complex finger movements, indicates that the Chagyrskaya Cave Neanderthals possessed the cognitive capacity to intuit the source of pain, comprehend the feasibility of its elimination, and deliberately select the most efficacious dental intervention. These patterns bring Neanderthal behavior closer to modern humans and differentiate that behavior from the instinctive actions of other primates.

[Recusant]

I suspect that instances of cannibalism may have been more of a survival mechanism than a tendency toward aggressiveness. 

Agreed, but cannibalism isn't generally considered kosher by our species, questionable even in a survival situation. 

[Icarus]

The neanderthal molar  could have been drilled after removal from the jaw. If the victim knew which tooth to extract, he may have wanted to investigate the cause of the pain.  For that possibility,One must presume an investigative bent for the cave man.

It is unlikely that the poor bastard had access to anaesthesic medicine. Drilling with a stone or other tool while the tooth was in the mouth would have taken an extended period of time and involve some excruciating pain plus a lot of stone sawdust in the mouth.