Ancient genomes reveal when modern humans and Neanderthals interbred
New ScientistDec 13
DNA Study Reveals Precise Timing of Human-Neanderthal Mixing
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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 Facts
New genetic research has pinpointed that modern humans and Neanderthals interbred during a specific 7K-year period starting approximately 50.5K years ago.
The DNA analysis of 58 ancient human genomes from across Eurasia revealed that all non-African humans today inherited 1-2% of their DNA from Neanderthals during this single period of interbreeding.
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.
