The inner ear of Neanderthals reveals clues about their enigmatic origin

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Neanderthal inner ears suggest they didn’t evolve the way we thought

Research into the shape of Neanderthal inner ears challenges the theory that the extinct human species originated out of an evolutionary event that led to a loss of part of their genetic diversity. The findings, published in Nature Communications, are based on fossils from across Europe and Western Asia. Unlike modern humans, Neanderthals never lived in Africa. Neanderthals evolved in Europe after an even older human ancestor had already made it…

Phys.org

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The inner ear of Neanderthals reveals clues about their enigmatic origin

New research on the inner ear morphology of Neanderthals and their ancestors challenges the widely accepted theory that Neanderthals originated after an evolutionary event that implied the loss of part of their genetic diversity. The findings, based on fossil samples from Atapuerca (Spain) and Krapina (Croatia), as well as from various European and Western Asian sites have been published in Nature Communications.

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The Inner Ear Reveals Neanderthals May Have Went Through Great Genetic Loss

Learn how researchers analyzed Neanderthals’ inner ears to understand their genetic history.

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How did Neanderthal appear? And how did it disappear? These are two major questions that remain for the moment without a clear answer. For one and the other, however, the idea of a decrease in genetic diversity has long been suspected. Thanks to the study of small bones of the inner ear, ...

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In the fossil deposits of Spain and Croatia lies a truth that has waited millennia to be revealed. An international team of researchers has discovered evidence of a devastating evolutionary bottleneck that hit Neanderthals between 130,000 and 50,000 years ago. The research, which analyzed the anatomy of the inner ear of dozens of fossils, reveals how this population went through a drastic reduction in its genetic diversity: an event that may hav…

Ancient Pages

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Why Does The Inner Ear Of Neanderthals Pose An Evolutionary Riddle? - Ancient Pages

Jan Bartek - AncientPages.com - Recent research into the inner ear morphology of Neanderthals and their ancestors offers new insights that challenge the prevailing theory regarding their origins. Previously, it was believed that Neanderthals emerged following an evolutionary event marked by a reduction in genetic diversity. This study draws on fossil samples from Atapuerca in […]