(NLĐO) - A mysterious "knot" that occurred in Europe 100,000 years ago may explain why modern humans are so isolated.
Examining Neanderthal fossils at sites in Croatia, France, Belgium, and Israel, dating from 41,000 to 130,000 years ago, an international research team has found crucial clues that could explain their disappearance.
At the time modern humans – Homo sapiens, or our species – emerged about 300,000 years ago, it is estimated that there were 8-9 species belonging to the genus Homo (human genus) living together in the world .
Even between Homo sapiens and its closest relatives such as Neanderthals or Denisovans, there were interbreedings, leaving genetic traces in our DNA.
Modern humans (left) and a wax statue depicting their extinct "brother" species - Photo: SMITHSONIAN MUSEUM
However, these other ancestral species gradually disappeared mysteriously. Neanderthals may have been one of the last to vanish, a tragically tragic event, as archaeological evidence suggests they evolved to be almost on par with us at certain periods.
Some skulls of this ancient human species found at the aforementioned Euro-West Asian sites have revealed an anomaly in the structure of the ear canal bones, according to a study recently published in the scientific journal Nature Communications.
"The development of the inner ear structures is known to be very tightly controlled by genetics, as they are fully formed at birth," Science Alert quoted anthropologist Rolf Quam from Binghamton University (USA).
It appears that something happened about 100,000 years ago that led to a genetic "knot," which is reflected in the shape of the ear canals of these ancient humans.
It indicates a significant decline in the number of people within a population before the Neanderthal era actually ended.
This study did not examine any possible reasons for the decline in genetic diversity, but several factors have been identified in previous studies, ranging from climate change to increased competition.
For all species on Earth, the decline in genetic diversity is a "death sentence".
Samples from the oldest site among these archaeological sites – Krapina in Croatia – show that as early as 130,000 years ago, an unexpectedly high level of genetic diversity still existed within this ancient human community, indicating that they were still evolving vigorously.
But sites dating back tens of thousands of years no longer show that.
Researchers hope to apply their ear structure analysis to more samples and locations around the world, which will reveal more about how our distant cousins lived, migrated, and eventually became extinct.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/dieu-ky-la-o-chau-au-tay-a-khien-the-gioi-mat-mot-loai-nguoi-196250301091144943.htm
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