Neanderthals Suffered from Social Isolation? This May Have Hastened Their Extinction

 Studies of the remains of a Neanderthal nicknamed Thorin shed new light on the social structure of this extinct hominid species. The findings suggest that some Neanderthal communities may have been highly isolated, which could have negatively affected their ability to survive.

Thorin's remains, dated to around 45,000 years ago, were discovered in the Grotte Mandrin cave in France. Analysis of DNA extracted from his teeth and jaw showed that Thorin belonged to a genetic lineage that diverged from other Neanderthals more than 100,000 years ago. This means that the community in which he lived was long isolated from other Neanderthal groups.

"It was previously thought that there was only one, genetically homogeneous population of Neanderthals at the time of the extinction. Now we know that there were at least two distinct populations at the time," says Tharsika Vimala, a population geneticist at the University of Copenhagen and co-author of the study.

Archaeologist Ludovic Slimak, who discovered Thorin's remains, emphasizes that his community did not exchange genes with other Neanderthal populations for 50,000 years. "This would be unthinkable for modern humans and shows that Neanderthals perceived the world very differently than we do," he notes.

Social isolation may have been a key factor in the Neanderthal extinction. Lack of contact with other groups limited genetic diversity, which reduced the ability to adapt to changing climates and pathogens. Furthermore, as Vimala points out, social isolation may have limited the exchange of knowledge and evolution as a population.

"It's always good when a population has contact with others. Long-term isolation limits genetic variability, which in turn weakens the ability to adapt and limits social development," the researcher explains.

Although the causes of Neanderthal extinction are still not fully understood, scientists suspect that climate change, increasing competition from homo sapiens and social isolation may have played a key role in their final demise around 40,000 years ago.