Ancient hook-up unravelled
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Humans and Neanderthals appear to have mixed more recently than scientists once thought.
Analysis of the oldest modern human genomes in Europe has revealed that early humans mixed with Neanderthals around 45,000 years ago.
New research, published in Nature, provides a more precise date for this genetic exchange, occurring between 45,000 and 49,000 years ago - significantly later than previously estimated.
The findings stem from the study of remains found in central Europe, including individuals from Ilsenhöhle in Ranis, Germany, and a woman named Zlatý kůň from Czechia. These individuals represent some of the earliest human populations following their migration out of Africa.
Arev Sümer and colleagues, who led the study, analysed high- and low-coverage genomes, discovering clear signs of Neanderthal ancestry.
The Ranis individuals, dated to around 45,000 years ago, carry about 2.9 per cent Neanderthal DNA.
Researchers posit that this genetic signature results from a single mixing event common to all non-African modern humans.
“The evidence suggests a single period of admixture between 45,000 and 49,000 years ago,” Sümer said, estimating this event occurred roughly 80 generations prior to the Ranis individuals' lifetimes.
Interestingly, the study also revealed a close kinship within the Ranis group, including a mother-daughter pair, suggesting these humans were part of small, isolated populations. This group appears to have left no direct descendants among present-day people.
The genetic connection between Ranis individuals and Zlatý kůň also highlights a shared ancestry representing the earliest divergence from the Out-of-Africa lineage.
However, contrasts emerged when comparing these groups to individuals from Bacho Kiro, Bulgaria, whose genomes suggest additional, distinct interactions with Neanderthals.
The discovery of ancient remains in Ranis - confirmed by radiocarbon dating to between 41,000 and 49,500 years ago - has helped contextualise the presence of early modern humans in Europe.
While it remains unclear how these populations relate to other human groups present at the time, the study advances the understanding of early human migration and interaction with archaic hominins.
The research highlights the shared genetic heritage among non-Africans and its origins in a common ancestral population. Sümer and colleagues suggest the findings may also help establish timelines for mixing events with other extinct hominins, such as the Denisovans.
Further research is needed to map the precise movements of early humans following their migration out of Africa and their settlement across Europe and Asia.
“These results provide a clearer picture of the shared history between early humans and Neanderthals, but many questions remain,” Sümer says.
