Neanderthal Genetic Diversity Largely Stemmed from Early Human Interbreeding

New research reveals that early Homo sapiens contributed significantly to Neanderthal genetic makeup, reshaping our understanding of their population size and extinction.

• Modern humans interbred with Neanderthals as early as 200,000 years ago, well before the major out-of-Africa migration.
• This early interbreeding introduced substantial genetic diversity into Neanderthal populations.
• The study shows that Neanderthal populations were smaller and less diverse than previously thought, with fewer than 2,500 individuals.
• Successive waves of Homo sapiens migration ultimately led to the assimilation and disappearance of Neanderthals.
• The findings suggest that Neanderthals' extinction was due to their absorption into the larger Homo sapiens gene pool.

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