Neanderthals, humans co-existed in Europe for over 2,000 years: study

Distinctive stone knives believed to have been made by some of the las tNeanderthals in France and northern Spain

Distinctive stone knives believed to have been made by some of the las tNeanderthals in France and northern Spain

Neanderthals and humans lived alongside each other in France and northern Spain for up to 2,900 years, modelling research suggested Thursday, giving them plenty of time to potentially learn from or even breed with each other.

While the study, published in the journal Scientific Reports, did not provide evidence that humans directly interacted with Neanderthals around 42,000 years ago, previous genetic research has shown that they must have at some point.

Igor Djakovic, a PhD student at Leiden University in the Netherlands and lead author of the new study, said we know that humans and Neanderthals "met and integrated in Europe, but we have no idea in which specific regions this actually happened".

To find out more, the Leiden-led team looked at radiocarbon dating for 56 artefacts -- 28 each for Neanderthals and humans -- from 17 sites across France and northern Spain. 

The researchers then used Bayesian modelling to narrow down the potential date ranges.

Then they used optimal linear estimation, a new modelling technique they adapted from biological conservation sciences, to get the best estimate for when the region's last Neanderthals lived.

"For example, we'll never find the last woolly Rhino," he told AFP, adding that "our understanding is always broken up into fragments".

This means the two species lived alongside each other in the region for between 1,400 and 2,900 years, the study said.

The period is "associated with substantial transformations in the way that people are producing material culture," such as tools and ornaments, he said. 

Given the changes in culture and the evidence in our own genes, the new timeline could further bolster a leading theory for the end of the Neanderthals: mating with humans. 

"When you combine that with what we know now -- that most people living on Earth have Neanderthal DNA -- you could make the argument that they never really went extinct, in a certain sense."

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