Neanderthals didn't die out

 

A groundbreaking study published in Scientific Reports challenges the long-held view of Neanderthal extinction around 40,000 years ago, proposing instead that they were gradually absorbed into Homo sapiens through interbreeding, rather than vanishing abruptly.

Researchers developed a mathematical model simulating gene flow between the two species, using modern hunter-gatherer birth rates. It predicts Neanderthals—limited to small populations of a few thousand—were genetically diluted over 10,000–30,000 years as larger waves of sapiens migrated into Europe and Asia, leading to repeated mixing.

This "genetic admixture" explains why 1–2% of Neanderthal DNA persists in non-African modern humans today, influencing traits like immunity and skin pigmentation. While climate and competition likely contributed to their decline, the model emphasizes intimacy over rivalry: Neanderthals didn't die out; they became us.