Recent studies have successfully sequenced genetic data from 27 Neanderthals residing in Belgium and France, dating back approximately 52,500 years. This groundbreaking research unveils unexpected insights into the lives of our closest human relatives before their extinction.
Neanderthal reconstruction. Image credit: Neanderthal Museum.
Neanderthals thrived in Europe and western Asia from at least 430,000 years ago until about 40,000 years ago.
The analysis of high-quality nuclear genomes from four Neanderthals presents significant insights into their diversity, population history, and interactions with early modern humans.
Comparative studies of more recent Neanderthals from Croatia (45,000 years ago) indicate greater genetic diversity and less evidence of inbreeding, in contrast to older specimens from Denisova and Chagyrskaya caves (dating back 120,000 years, around 110,000 years, and about 60,000 years), located at the eastern extent of the Neanderthal range.
Moreover, the genomic data suggests a striking genetic similarity among late Neanderthals, indicating potential long-distance connections between individuals from geographically remote regions such as Mezmaiskaya in the Caucasus and Les Côtés in France.
“Previously, we had only four high-quality Neanderthal genomes and a limited number of less informative genomes, making it challenging to address various questions about Neanderthal regional diversity,” explains Alba Bossams-Mesa, a postdoctoral researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
“By generating genetic data from multiple individuals in present-day Belgium and France, we can now explore late Neanderthal populations with greater detail.”
This research study involved recovering genetic material from 26 Neanderthals located in Belgium and France.
Researchers also sequenced a high-quality genome from a 45,000-year-old Neanderthal man uncovered in Belgium’s Goyet Cave, marking it as the fifth detailed Neanderthal genome ever produced.
In contrast to previously studied Neanderthals from the Altai region of Siberia, which displayed signs of interbreeding among close relatives, the Belgian Neanderthals showed no such genetic traits.
The findings reveal that most Neanderthals in Belgium and France shared closer genetic ties to one another than to their contemporaneous counterparts in other European regions, while also indicating the presence of distinct regional populations that maintained broader connections across the continent.
Dr. Benjamin Peter, also affiliated with the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, stated, “Our findings suggest that the circumstances observed in one area cannot be applied universally to all Neanderthals.”
“Late Neanderthals from northwestern Europe appear to have been part of a connected regional population rather than isolated groups interbreeding frequently.”
Despite modern humans having arrived in the region around 47,000 years ago, the Neanderthal genome revealed no traces of recent human DNA.
“These findings amplifiy the notable imbalance,” Bossams-Mesa noted.
“While early modern humans appear to carry Neanderthal ancestry, to date we have found no clear signs of modern human ancestry in late Neanderthals.”
Researchers also evaluated the hypothesis that Neanderthals gradually weakened due to accumulating genetic defects. By comparing early and late Neanderthals, they found no significant increase in harmful mutations over time, challenging the notion that genetic decline contributed to Neanderthal extinction.
The ultimate cause of Neanderthal extinction remains uncertain.
Nonetheless, this study illustrates that, at least in northwestern Europe, the last millennia were not characterized by biological decline.
Dr. Janet Kelso from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology remarked, “This study underscores the capability of ancient DNA to reveal finer variations within Neanderthals than previously achievable.”
“Instead of perceiving Late Neanderthals as a homogeneous declining population, we are beginning to appreciate a more intricate landscape of regional diversity, connectivity, and population history.”
For more insights, refer to the findings published in this week’s issue of Nature.
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A. Bossams Mesa et al. Genetic diversity of late Neanderthals in northwest Europe. Nature, published online June 24, 2026. doi: 10.1038/s41586-026-10625-1
Source: www.sci.news
