Neanderthal Extinction: Inbreeding Not the Main Cause for Northwestern Europe Group

A study published June 24 in Nature suggests inbreeding was not the primary driver of extinction for Neanderthals in northwestern Europe. Researchers analyzed DNA from 27 Neanderthals across ten sites, sequencing a high-quality genome from remains found in Belgium's Goyet Caves dating to around 45,000 years ago. Lead author Alba Bossoms Mesa of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology says the new data reveals relatively high genetic diversity and no signs of recent inbreeding. The findings challenge the notion that all Neanderthals went extinct due to inbreeding. However, Carles Lalueza-Fox of the Institute of Evolutionary Biology in Barcelona notes that the group may not have had time to accumulate detectable genetic erosion. The study also found no evidence of recent Homo sapiens DNA in these Neanderthals, despite known interbreeding elsewhere. Co-author Benjamin M. Peter emphasizes that regional diversity means one region's picture cannot be applied to all Neanderthals. The ultimate cause of extinction remains unknown.