New DNA Evidence Rewrites Neanderthal History in Europe

Researchers utilizing paleogenetic analysis have determined that the final Neanderthal populations in Europe descended from a single small group, revealing a significant population crash that occurred tens of thousands of years before their extinction.

The study, published March 23, 2026, in the journal PNAS, indicates that a major disruption in Neanderthal history resulted in only one genetic lineage surviving in Europe. This surviving group subsequently expanded across the continent, leaving the late Neanderthals with very low genetic diversity.

According to the findings, the late Neanderthals who lived between 60,000 and 40,000 years ago were the descendants of this single population. This genetic bottleneck may have played a role in the eventual extinction of the species around 40,000 years ago.

Ice Age Refugiums and Population Collapse

To understand the cause of this population crash, researchers combined DNA analysis with existing archaeological evidence. The data suggests that around 75,000 years ago, severe Ice Age conditions may have forced widespread groups of Neanderthals to retreat to a single safe zone, known as a refugium, located in southwestern France.

While the population managed to bounce back for a period after this retreat, the loss of genetic variety was permanent. The researchers found that almost all late Neanderthals in Europe shared the same limited ancestry from that specific surviving group.

Paleogenetic Methodology

The researchers focused their analysis on mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which is passed down exclusively through the maternal line. Paleogeneticists prefer mtDNA for this type of study because it is more resilient in the environment over tens of thousands of years and is easier to extract from ancient remains than standard genomic DNA.

The team analyzed the mtDNA from the bones and teeth of 59 individual Neanderthals. This sample included 10 new mitochondrial DNA sequences from specimens excavated at six different archaeological sites across Serbia, Germany, France, and Belgium.

One of the specific samples used in the study was a Neanderthal tooth discovered in the Pešturina Cave in Serbia.

Implications for Extinction

The discovery of such low genetic diversity provides new insights into the evolutionary developments that preceded the disappearance of the species. Paleogeneticist Cosimo Posth of the University of Tübingen noted that while Neanderthals inhabited Europe continuously between 400,000 and 40,000 years ago, the details of their population history have remained fragmentary until now.

The transition from a widespread population to a single surviving lineage represents a major disruption that left the species vulnerable. The lack of genetic diversity inherent in a population descended from a single group often reduces a species’ ability to adapt to environmental changes or disease, potentially contributing to their extinction roughly 40,000 years ago.