Bones uncover mysterious early history of the Neanderthals

[jpak]

https://www.cnn.com/2019/06/26/world/neanderthal-dna-ancient-populations-scn-trnd/index.html

(CNN)The Neanderthal genome was sequenced in 2010, but mystery still surrounds the early history of our extinct human relative.

Now, after researchers were able to extract nuclear genome sequences from two Neanderthal bones that predate others with sequenced genomes, a new study aims to answer some of the remaining questions.

The study focuses on a jawbone belonging to a Neanderthal girl, first discovered within Scladina Cave, Belgium, in 1993 and the femur of a male Neanderthal from Hohlenstein-Stadel Cave, Germany, found in 1937. Both lived 120,000 years ago.

Evidence of Neanderthals extends as far back as 430,000 years ago. They seem to have disappeared and gone extinct about 40,000 years ago in Europe and Central Asia. Many of the Neanderthal remains that have been studied date to between 90,000 and 100,000 years ago.

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