A new study published in Nature Communications has uncovered evidence that Neanderthals experienced a severe population crash around 110,000 years ago, which may have set the stage for their eventual extinction. This finding challenges previous assumptions about Neanderthal evolution and provides fresh insights into the demographic history of our closest evolutionary relatives. Researchers from Binghamton University, the University of Alcalá, and the Institut Català de Paleontologia Miquel Crusafont led the international team that made this discovery by examining a unique feature of Neanderthal fossils: the semicircular canals of the inner ear. “The development of the inner ear structures is known … Continue reading Neanderthal Genetic Diversity Halved 110,000 Years Ago, Study Finds