New publications shed light on the departure of Neanderthals from Europe. And it turns out, the earliest people got lost earlier than they previously believed.
New fossils, found in a cave in Belgium show that the last of the Neanderthals in Europe died thousands of years before the earlier estimate.
The new study, published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, conducted by a collaborative team from Belgium, Britain and Germany sheds light on when our close relationship left the planet.
Earlier readings of the remains of “Spy Cave” inhabited neanderthals about 24,000 years ago, but the new findings push the date to between 44,200-40,600 years.
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According to the study’s co-lead author, Thibaut Deviese from Oxford University and Aix-Marseille University, the team came up with a more reliable way to evaluate results, limiting the chance of errors and reducing pollution.
The scientists used radiocarbon separation methods to find out when the creatures were moving on our planet, and it can help researchers understand why the species became extinct, while it is possible for people to keep going.
How does carbon sequestration work?
All living creatures on the planet absorb carbon from the atmosphere and their food sources. But when they die, they stop absorbing carbon – which helps scientists decide when to lose them.
Read also: Every modern human has Neanderthal DNA: A study
In terms of bones, scientists usually choose collagen to find the date. Neanderthal samples from two other Belgian sites were also examined to confirm a concrete timeline. Scientists believe the previous remains were infected with cattle DNA, which caused an error.