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New evidence suggests that modern humans inhabited northern Europe during a time of extreme cold weather, coexisting with Neanderthals over 45,000 years ago.
Scientists say that during that time, the average temperatures would have been about 7 to 15 degrees Celsius lower than current temperatures. This is comparable to the temperatures found in Siberia or northern Scandinavia today.
According to them, Homo sapiens and Neanderthals coexisted in the same area for thousands of years before the Neanderthals became extinct.
New research published in Nature and Nature Ecology & Evolution shows that early European settlers were better able to adapt to the harsh cold environments of Europe than previously believed. The findings were presented in three separate papers.
According to a team of archaeologists from different countries, they likely would have coexisted with big predators such as hyenas and cave bears while traveling in small groups across the land.
According to Sarah Pederzani, a researcher at the University of La Laguna and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, it was previously believed that the ability to withstand cold climates did not develop until much later. However, new evidence has emerged that challenges this notion and is both intriguing and unexpected.
Maybe the presence of bigger populations of prey animals in colder steppes made these areas more appealing for these human communities than we previously thought.
The team revisited a cave site in Ranis, a small town located in Thuringia, Germany, for their study.
Between 1932 and 1938, archaeologists discovered long, leaf-shaped stone blades while exploring the site for the first time.
At first, it was believed that these tools were created by Neanderthals. However, a subsequent excavation from 2016 to 2022 uncovered human fossils, indicating that the artifacts were most likely made by humans.
According to Dr. Geoff Smith, a zooarchaeologist at the University of Kent and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, the most thrilling discovery from this study was the recognition of previously unknown and accurately dated Homo sapiens fossils in Ranis.
I was filled with a mixture of excitement and nerves as I held the human remains from Ranis, which had not been previously identified. This was my first time handling them.
These fossils provide the earliest proof of our species existing north of the Alps. Their existence in extremely cold and harsh climates suggests that early H. sapiens were more adaptable than previously believed.
“The temperature records from Ranis indicate an average range of 7-15 degrees lower than present-day temperatures.”
According to the researchers, their findings contradict the belief that Neanderthals vanished from northern Europe well before modern humans migrated there. They stated that this theory can now be dismissed.
According to the researchers, their study further supports the genetic findings that suggest coexistence and interbreeding between humans and Neanderthals.
Jean-Jacques Hublin, emeritus director at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Leipzig, Germany, said: “It turns out that stone artefacts that were thought to be produced by Neanderthals were in fact part of the early H. sapiens tool kit.
This drastically alters our understanding of the time period: H. sapiens arrived in northwestern Europe well before Neanderthals disappeared in southwestern Europe.
The group also discovered over a thousand pieces of animal bones from species that inhabited the caves, such as bears and hyenas. They also found potential food sources for humans, including deer and horses.
According to Dr. Smith, the examination of animal remains in the Ranis cave indicates that it was occasionally utilized by hyenas for shelter, cave bears for hibernation, and humans in small groups.
Although the humans only occupied the cave temporarily, they did consume various types of meat such as reindeer, woolly rhinoceros, and horses.
Source: independent.co.uk
