The Neanderthal niche space of Western Eurasia 145 ka to 30 ka ago

Scientific Reports, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 14(1)

Published: April 2, 2024

Abstract Neanderthals occupied Western Eurasia between 350 ka and 40 ago, during the climatically volatile Pleistocene. A key issue is to what extent Neanderthal populations expanded into areas of conditions facilitated such range expansions. The generally based on distribution material, but land-altering nature glacial periods has erased much already sparse material evidence Neanderthals, particularly in northern latitudes. To overcome this obstacle species models can estimate past distributions however, most implementations are constrained spatially temporally may be artificially truncating niche space. Using dated contexts from sites across Eurasia, millennial-scale paleoclimate reconstructions, a spatiotemporal model, we infer fundamental climatic space occupation. We find that (a.) despite long timeframe, occupy relatively narrow space, (b.) estimated projected potential suggests larger geographic than record suggests, (c.) there was general decline size 145 ago onward, possibly contributing their extinction.

Language: Английский

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Vegetation and climate changes during the Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition in the southwestern Mediterranean: What happened to the last Neanderthals during Heinrich stadial 4?

Quaternary Science Reviews, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 359, P. 109345 - 109345

Published: April 28, 2025

Language: Английский

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Evaluating the impact of climate change and millennial variability on the last Neanderthal populations in Europe (Marine Isotope Stage 3)

Quaternary Science Reviews, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 338, P. 108812 - 108812

Published: July 17, 2024

Language: Английский

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Determinants Shaping Human Preference for Thermal Springs in Palaeolithic Europe and Asia Minor

Environmental Archaeology, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: unknown, P. 1 - 26

Published: Jan. 22, 2025

This study explores Palaeolithic human occupation at thermal springs in Europe and Asia Minor by reconstructing palaeoecological conditions for 12 spring sites 97 control using machine learning dimensionality reduction techniques. K-nearest neighbours analysis indicates that were occupied under hot, dry Mediterranean, oceanic, or humid continental climates. Age-specific δ18O data suggest these mostly used during cold moderately global climatic conditions.Principal Component Analysis revealed experienced drier climates with higher diurnal annual temperature ranges than sites. Two distinct clusters emerged based on reconstructed palaeoenvironmental conditions: a temperate cluster, subdivided into Mediterranean oceanic subclusters, cluster. Linear Discriminant clearly separated from non-thermal ones.Ensemble algorithms identified range, precipitation, clothing coverage as key differentiators between sites, depending paleoclimate. highlights the varied motivations occupations across diverse European environments.

Language: Английский

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Semicircular canals shed light on bottleneck events in the evolution of the Neanderthal clade

Nature Communications, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 16(1)

Published: Feb. 20, 2025

Revealing the evolutionary processes which resulted in derived morphologies that characterize Neanderthal clade has been an important task for paleoanthropologists. One critical method to quantify changes morphology of hominin populations is through evaluating morphological phenotypic diversity (i.e., disparity) phylogenetically informative bones as a close proxy neutral processes. The goal this study degree disparity clade. We hypothesize reduction bony labyrinth indicative underlying genetic variation resulting from bottleneck events. apply deformation-based geometric morphometric approach investigate semicircular canal and vestibule shape chronologically broad sample individuals belonging lineage. Our results identify significant after start Marine Isotope Stage 5 supporting our hypothesis late bottleneck, possibly leading Late Pleistocene Neanderthals.

Language: Английский

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Climate change in Europe between 90 and 50 kyr BP and Neanderthal territorial habitability

PLoS ONE, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 20(2), P. e0308690 - e0308690

Published: Feb. 26, 2025

After having lived as the dominant human species in Europe for over 200 kyr, Homo neanderthalensis (the Neanderthals) disappeared around 40 kyr BP (Before Present) Higham T (2014). Competition with sapiens , who arrived same time, is often invoked to explain this extinction. Others have argued that climate change may reduced living space of population making its disappearance more rapid. In order test hypothesis we modelled Neanderthals’ ecological niches between 90 and 50 through paleoenvironmental reconstructions Eco-Cultural Niche Modelling. We selected five environmental variables (orographic height, mean annual precipitation, temperature coldest month, carrying capacity friction, see below) from model simulations 5 periods Europe. used Structural Similarity (SSIM) index compare probability maps suitable Neanderthals performed by Maxent. a strong initial first (P1 = 83 BP) second (P2 69 periods, our results show large areas highly Neanderthal occupation persisted across As an increase/stability Neanderthals, question cause decrease or displacement towards southern after climatic remains open.

Language: Английский

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Large-scale vegetation shifts during substantial warming — Proxy-based biome reconstructions of MIS 6 and MIS 5e in Europe

Quaternary Science Reviews, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 356, P. 109308 - 109308

Published: March 18, 2025

Language: Английский

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The effects of carnivore diversity on scavenging opportunities and hominin range expansion during Out of Africa I

Journal of Human Evolution, Journal Year: 2025, Volume and Issue: 203, P. 103680 - 103680

Published: April 28, 2025

Language: Английский

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‘Here by the Sea and Sand’: Uninterrupted Hunter-Fisher-Gatherer Coastal Habitation Despite Considerable Population Growth

Open Quaternary, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 10

Published: Jan. 1, 2024

Language: Английский

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Applying geotechnical borehole databases in the search for interglacial deposits in Denmark

GEUS Bulletin, Journal Year: 2024, Volume and Issue: 57

Published: Sept. 30, 2024

Geotechnical investigations conducted in preparation for infrastructure development provide high-quality borehole data standardised digital formats. In Denmark, such geotechnical are not required to be reported the national well database (Jupiter) and mainly archived privately owned databases. Accessible interglacial interstadial terrestrial deposits rare these have potential identify deposits, with significant implications ongoing palaeoclimate, palaeoenvironmental archaeological research. this study, we compiled from six major companies, resulting a over 550 000 boreholes. From database, identified 1850 boreholes containing samples associated ages. Through extensive filtering well-documented lacustrine or palustrine selected 161 referenced them 39 different geographical occurrences. Of occurrences, 36 were either new provided substantial records known sites. Our findings demonstrate that access can valuable resource identifying near-surface geological allowing discovery of several Pleistocene sedimentary archives warrant further investigation.

Language: Английский

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