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Ancient DNA reveals first Neanderthal family portrait
Neanderthals are an extinct species of archaic humans who lived across Europe and southwest to central Asia from about 400,000 until about 40,000 years ago. They were about 1.50 to 1.75 meters tall and weighed around 64 to 80 kilograms, and had large noses, strong-double-arched brow ridges, and relatively short and stocky bodies. They were hunter-gatherers and ate meat, plants and fungi, and shellfish when available. Apparently, they co-existed with our, homo sapiens, ancestors that appeared around 300,000 years ago in Africa, but the cause of their extinction is still unclear. Recently, researchers extracted DNA from the bones and teeth that once belonged to a small Neanderthals community of seven males and six females including five children. They found that the community had low genetic diversity, meaning they were most likely family members or relatives. As genetic study advances, we’ll find more about the social organization and behaviors of our mysterious cousins. In fact, the two species seem to have interbred with each other before Neanderthals went extinct.
Enjoy reading the article about the lives and communities of the extinct species of archaic humans.
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/10/19/europe/neanderthal-first-family-dna-scn/index.html
Ancient DNA reveals first Neanderthal family portrait
Neanderthals are an extinct species of archaic humans who lived across Europe and southwest to central Asia from about 400,000 until about 40,000 years ago. They were about 1.50 to 1.75 meters tall and weighed around 64 to 80 kilograms, and had large noses, strong-double-arched brow ridges, and relatively short and stocky bodies. They were hunter-gatherers and ate meat, plants and fungi, and shellfish when available. Apparently, they co-existed with our, homo sapiens, ancestors that appeared around 300,000 years ago in Africa, but the cause of their extinction is still unclear. Recently, researchers extracted DNA from the bones and teeth that once belonged to a small Neanderthals community of seven males and six females including five children. They found that the community had low genetic diversity, meaning they were most likely family members or relatives. As genetic study advances, we’ll find more about the social organization and behaviors of our mysterious cousins. In fact, the two species seem to have interbred with each other before Neanderthals went extinct.
Enjoy reading the article about the lives and communities of the extinct species of archaic humans.
https://edition.cnn.com/2022/10/19/europe/neanderthal-first-family-dna-scn/index.html
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