Scientists from Austria have made a significant discovery regarding the migratory patterns of Neanderthals, suggesting they traversed vast distances between Europe and Central Asia. This revelation comes from the analysis of a bone fragment, approximately 45,000 years old, found in a cave on the Crimean Peninsula.
The fragment was part of a larger collection of over 150 bone remains and was examined by researchers at the University of Vienna. They utilized a biomolecular technique that identifies whether a sample is of human or animal origin based on ancient proteins. The DNA extracted from the bone confirmed it belonged to a Neanderthal from the Paleolithic era, genetically linked to Neanderthals found in Siberia, located around 3,000 kilometers east of Crimea, and also to those from much further west, such as present-day Croatia.
Measuring about five centimeters, the bone, likely a femur, was identified by a team of anthropologists led by Emily M. Pigott. Their findings were published in the scientific journal “Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences” (PNAS). This period coincides with the time when Neanderthals and Homo sapiens coexisted in Eurasia, shortly before the former vanished approximately 45,000 years ago.
Pigott noted, “There are very few human fossils from this critical period in Eurasia, when Neanderthals disappeared and were replaced by Homo sapiens, and even fewer with genetic information.” The researchers hypothesize that the Crimean Peninsula, annexed by Russia in 2014, may have served as a migration corridor during milder climatic periods between glaciations.
Additionally, the team identified two favorable climatic periods, around 120,000 and 60,000 years ago, suggesting that Neanderthals likely followed migrating animal herds between Crimea, Central Asia, and Europe.
Tom Higham, a member of the research team, stated that understanding of Neanderthals has evolved significantly in recent years. “Our new study confirms that they were capable of traveling great distances. For decades, it was believed that this ability was nearly exclusive to our species, Homo sapiens,” he remarked.
The “Starosele” cave in Crimea has been the subject of research since 1952, but until now, only post-Medieval human remains had been discovered there. Pigott expressed her excitement over the finding, stating, “It was an extremely thrilling discovery, especially since it was believed that the human remains from Starosele belonged to modern humans from much more recent times.”
