What really happened to Neanderthals? Scientists finally solve extinction mystery

For decades, scientists have been trying to unravel the mystery surrounding the extinction of Neanderthal, ancient humans, in contrast to the established presence of modern humans.

Various studies offered different insights related to growing competition, advent of Ice age and climate change that led to the mysterious extinction of Neanderthals.

A new research study conducted by Ariane Burke, a professor of anthropology at Université de Montréal and head of the Hominin Dispersals Research Group in Quebec, is offering a new insight based on the digital ecology approach.

"Obviously, we don't have precise demographic data for populations living 35,000 years ago, so we used ethnographic data from better-documented ancient hunter-gatherer groups to set parameters for the geomatics tools and generate these models," Burke explained.

During research, the team focused on Europe during the last glacial cycle, between 60,000 and 35,000 years ago. This period is important due to dramatic climate shifts and the appearance of modern humans.

The findings of the study suggest that only the reasons like direct fierce competition and climate conditions are not responsible for pushing the Neanderthal to extinction.

Instead, their extinction has been shaped by a combination of factors including climate, social bond, geography, and population dynamics.

According to the researchers, the areas inhabited by Homo sapiens were more interconnected than those used by Neanderthals. Hence, it is no wrong to assume that connectivity and social networking was highly critical.

Burke explained that people connected with social bonds can better ward off ecological, demographic, and environmental challenges as these networks act as a safety net in times of crisis.

He said, "They allow for the exchange of information on resources and animal migrations, the forming of partnerships, and temporary access to other territories in the event of a crisis."

The data did not suggest that Neanderthals were isolated, but they suffered from weaker and less reliable bonds.

The study also acknowledges the role of climate variability, putting ancient humans at great risk. The disappearance of the Neanderthal was also driven by harsh climate changes, population pressures and social structures.

"In western areas, the arrival of Homo sapiens may have added further stress, especially for Neanderthal populations that were already demographically vulnerable," the researchers said.

"Because the two species were capable of producing offspring together, their interactions were likely complex, involving competition, occasional interbreeding and other subtle population dynamics,” they added.

The findings also shed light on how important social bonds have been throughout history for human survival. Only intelligence and technology cannot save humanity alone.