Dear MEL Topic Readers,
Cave discovery in France may explain why Neanderthals disappeared,
scientists say
Neanderthals are an extinct group of archaic humans believed to have
lived in parts of Europe, Central Asia, and the Middle East until around 40,000
years ago. They were adapted to colder environments, thriving during the Ice
Age conditions with their shorter but stockier bodies and limbs than ours. Homo
sapiens, meaning thinking man, evolved in Africa around 300,000 years ago and immigrated
to other places of the world. They were taller and their limbs were longer than
Neanderthals. While Neanderthals lived in smaller and isolated communities Homo
sapiens formed larger communities. They explored places beyond where they had
lived, which gave them the chance to interact and interbreed with others and
share knowledge and technology. Since Neanderthals and Homo sapiens lived in
the same places and the same time, they seem to have interbred. As a result, modern
humans have about 1-2% Neanderthal DNA even though Neanderthals became extinct
about 40,000 years ago. The question is why Neanderthals disappeared despite
their physical strength and adaptability to the cold climate in the Ice Age.
Read the article and learn about how archaeologists are trying to find
the mystery of Neanderthals.
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