Ancient genomes reveal when modern humans and Neanderthals interbred
New ScientistDEC 2024
DNA Study Reveals Precise Timing of Human-Neanderthal Mixing
Above: The recreated skull, face, and head of a 75,000-year-old Neanderthal female, Shanidar Z, after the cave in Iraqi Kurdistan where her skull was found in 2018, are shown, at the University of Cambridge in eastern England, in April 2024. Image copyright: Justin Tallis/Contributor/AFP via Getty Images
The Spin
Narrative A
The interbreeding between humans and Neanderthals was likely common and contributed to Neanderthals' disappearance by incorporating them into human populations, suggesting a more complex relationship between the two species than previously thought. This research is significant since it clarifies the timeline of human evolution.
Narrative B
This new evidence suggests that the extinction of Neanderthals was not due to human superiority or competition, but rather environmental factors that affected both species equally, as evidenced by the simultaneous extinction of both groups in Europe around 40K years ago.