Neanderthals and hominids were not as separate as previously thought, but frequently interbred, and this could spell the end of the Neanderthal species. These are the conclusions of a work recently published in the Journal Human Ecology by scientists from the universities of Arizona and Colorado.
During the Ice Age, human groups began to travel long distances to search for food, and this favored sexual encounters between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens . As a result, Neanderthals were genetically "absorbed" and their population became extinct. As Michael Burton of Arizona points out, "this group was the victim of its own success," as by adapting to climate change they caused their own demise. These conclusions turn around the classical theories that modern humans would displace Neanderthals for having superior intelligence.
Predictive computer models
The study was based on computer models that document the journeys that 1,500 generations of hominids would have made in response to climate change. Although the results are controversial , since no site with remains of the two species has been found in all of Eurasia, this new tool opens up a promising field in the development of predictive models on the future impact of human beings on their environment.
