The extinction of Neanderthals remains one of prehistory’s most intriguing puzzles. A new theory suggests our ‘intellectually inferior’ ancestors may have been responsible for their demise.
Ludovic Slimak, author of “The Naked Neanderthal,” proposes that despite Neanderthals’ remarkable creativity and craftsmanship, they were outcompeted by early Homo sapiens’ superior weaponry and a penchant for uniformity in tool production.
Our closest relatives, the Neanderthals, with their muscular build and distinctive physical traits, thrived across Europe and parts of Asia for hundreds of thousands of years.
They coexisted with other human species, including Homo sapiens, who emerged from Africa approximately 40,000 years ago. At that pivotal point in history, Neanderthals began to vanish, leaving today’s human population with just a trace of their DNA.
Several hypotheses have emerged over the years to explain this sudden disappearance. While some scientists, like Slimak, implicate direct human involvement, others propose a range of contributing factors, from climate change to pandemic disease.
Some suggest the existence of Neanderthals lingers in the genetic admixture found in modern non-African populations, indicating possible interbreeding events before the Neanderthals’ decline.
Recent findings from a cave in Southern France, where both Neanderthals and humans left their marks, offer new insights. Slimak’s work indicates that Neanderthals returned to the site around 54,000 years ago, followed by humans 44,000 years later.
The evidence shows that when Homo sapiens arrived, Neanderthals disappeared, possibly due to being outmatched by more effective human weapons, despite Neanderthals’ advanced artisanal skills.
The debate, however, is far from settled. Research led by Katerina Harvati and colleagues explores the Neanderthal extinction through multiple lenses, including demographic, technological, and social differences between the two species.
Factors like faster growth rates and shorter life expectancy in Neanderthals, along with a higher population density in modern humans, suggest a complex interplay of competitive advantages may have contributed to the Neanderthals’ decline.
Climate instability during the millennia leading up to the last glacial maximum also presents a plausible backdrop to the Neanderthal extinction. Despite their resilience through previous cold phases, the combination of fluctuating climates and competition with modern humans could have tipped the scales against Neanderthals.
William Banks, an archaeologist, emphasizes caution against assuming human superiority in this prehistoric competition. He points to evidence of Neanderthals’ complex behaviors, including their use of symbolic materials and technology, which may challenge the narrative of a simplistic human triumph.
Noah Rosenberg’s study, using mathematical modeling, suggests that the spread of diseases could have played a significant role in the Neanderthals’ disappearance, akin to the demographic shifts witnessed following the arrival of Europeans in the Americas.
In contrast, Prof Stefano Benazzi’s SUCCESS project in Italy finds little evidence to support catastrophic climate change as the cause of Neanderthal extinction in the region, suggesting a more nuanced interaction between the two species.
Carolina Mallol’s PALEOCHAR project delves into ancient fire sediments to extract molecular information, providing a novel lens to understand Neanderthal life and potential reasons for their demise.
Relevant articles:
– ‘Intellectually inferior’ humans caused Neanderthals to go extinct, a new book claims, Business Insider, Feb 15, 2024
– What Happened to the Neanderthals?, nature.com
– What Exactly Happened to The Neanderthals and Why Did They Go Extinct?, discovermagazine.com
– New archaeology dives into the mysterious demise of the Neanderthals, europa.eu