REMAINS OF ONE OF THE "LAST" NEANDERthals have been discovered, with researchers saying that the find casts new light on the history of these archaic humans.
The Neanderthal was unearthed at a cave known as "Grotte Mandrin" in southern France's Rhône Valley. The 2015 find has been reported in scientific literature for the first time, in a study published in the journal Cell Genomics.
The authors-led by Ludovic Slimak, a researcher with Paul Sabatier University in Toulouse, France nicknamed the individual "Thorin" in homage to a character in J.R.R. Tolkien's 1937 novel The Hobbit, a dwarf king and the last of his line.
"The Thorin of Mandrin is, in turn, one of the last Neanderthals," Slimak wrote in a piece for The Conversation.
After discovering Thorin, the research team analyzed his genome, which revealed surprising insights. According to the paper, Thorin lived in a small, isolated community between 42,000 and 50,000 years ago, one that represents a previously undescribed and particularly ancient Neanderthal lineage.
This population seemingly diverged from other currently known "late Neanderthals" around 100,000 years ago and remained genetically isolated for more than 50,000 years, the authors said.
Slimak told Newsweek that the latest results challenge what was previously known about the nature of the last Neanderthal populations. The findings could help researchers understand their mysterious disappearance, the causes of which are subject to significant debate.
"Now, everything must be rewritten about the greatest extinction of humanity," Slimak said.
Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis) are one of our closest extinct relatives. This species lived in Eurasia until their disappearance about 40,000 years ago. In certain regions and periods, they coexisted with anatomically modern humans and even interbred with us.
この記事は Newsweek Europe の October 04, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です ? サインイン
この記事は Newsweek Europe の October 04, 2024 版に掲載されています。
7 日間の Magzter GOLD 無料トライアルを開始して、何千もの厳選されたプレミアム ストーリー、9,000 以上の雑誌や新聞にアクセスしてください。
すでに購読者です? サインイン
Falling for Romance
A new book, Nora Ephron at the Movies, celebrates the writer/director best known for her iconic rom-coms and strong female characters
Cracking the Norse Code
Walrus DNA has shown that Vikings were likely the first to have encountered Indigenous North Americans
Monumental Shift
The discovery of 165-million-year-old crystals Easter Island has upended the longheld notion of how the Earth's \"conveyor belt\" moves
'OUR FOREIGN POLICY AND DOMESTIC REFORMS ARE TWO SIDES OF THE SAME COIN'
It is a well-known fact across the globe that the North Korean regime is irrational and unpredictable, but we have been consistent in strengthening our defense posture against the threat from North Korea since the Korean War, and I believe that their conventional capability is much inferior to that of the Korean military.
'They Read My Eulogy As I Lay in an Open Grave'
Like Paris Hilton, Natasia Pelowski claims she was subjected to abuse at a teenage therapy program
Russian Economy Faces 'Burnout'
Vladimir Putin admits difficulties” as the country’s key interest rate reaches a historic high
China's 'Silent Chemical War'
The U.S. must investigate Beijing's role in the manufacturing of fentanyl that is killing Americans, says one mom whose daughter died after accidentally taking the illicit substance
HARSH HEADWINDS
President Yoon Suk Yeol's BATTLE to reform a South Korea beset with structural problems under the specter of an increasingly aggressive neighbor to THE NORTH
Bridget Everett
BRIDGET EVERETT NEVER THOUGHT SHE'D BE THE LEAD OF A TV SHOW. \"I come from the downtown world in New York, a cabaret singer, and these things just don't happen, you don't find yourself with three seasons of HBO.
Amber Ruffin
A LATE-NIGHT COMEDY SHOW ON CNN? YES, and it's a game show, too.
