ARCHAEOLOGY: The 'Last' Neanderthal

Analysis of the remains of one our closest extinct relatives has challenged existing knowledge of Homo neanderthalensis

- ARISTOS GEORGIOU

REMAINS OF ONE OF THE "LAST" NEANDERthals have been discovered, with researchers saying that the find casts new light on the history of these archaic humans.

The Neanderthal was unearthed at a cave known as "Grotte Mandrin" in southern France's Rhône Valley. The 2015 find has been reported in scientific literature for the first time, in a study published in the journal Cell Genomics.

The authors-led by Ludovic Slimak, a researcher with Paul Sabatier University in Toulouse, France nicknamed the individual "Thorin" in homage to a character in J.R.R. Tolkien's 1937 novel The Hobbit, a dwarf king and the last of his line.

"The Thorin of Mandrin is, in turn, one of the last Neanderthals," Slimak wrote in a piece for The Conversation.

After discovering Thorin, the research team analyzed his genome, which revealed surprising insights. According to the paper, Thorin lived in a small, isolated community between 42,000 and 50,000 years ago, one that represents a previously undescribed and particularly ancient Neanderthal lineage.

This population seemingly diverged from other currently known "late Neanderthals" around 100,000 years ago and remained genetically isolated for more than 50,000 years, the authors said.

Slimak told Newsweek that the latest results challenge what was previously known about the nature of the last Neanderthal populations. The findings could help researchers understand their mysterious disappearance, the causes of which are subject to significant debate.

"Now, everything must be rewritten about the greatest extinction of humanity," Slimak said.

Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis) are one of our closest extinct relatives. This species lived in Eurasia until their disappearance about 40,000 years ago. In certain regions and periods, they coexisted with anatomically modern humans and even interbred with us.