Sapiens were friends with Neanderthals
A 40-thousand-year-old tooth with mysterious genetics was found in an Israeli cave
Denis Peredelsky, Rossiyskaya Gazeta
Scientists from Tel Aviv University, the Israel Antiquities Authority and Ben-Gurion University conducted an in-depth analysis of ancient fossilized teeth found in the Manot Cave. Their research proves that about 40 thousand years ago the ancestors of modern man and Neanderthals migrated from Europe to the territory of the so-called Levant, after which a new genetically mixed culture, having existed for several millennia, mysteriously disappeared.
The researchers' work is presented in the Journal of Human Evolution (Sarig et al., The dental remains from the Early Upper Paleolithic of Manot Cave, Israel), and the website of American Friends of Tel Aviv University (Study Reveals That Humans Migrated from Europe to the Levant 40,000 Years Ago) briefly tells about it. Scientists have discovered the secret of the mysterious Aurignacian culture, whose representatives appeared in Europe about 43 thousand years ago.
Previously, it was believed that with the appearance of these direct ancestors of modern man, Neanderthals who could not stand the competition began to disappear. However, recently there have been studies proving that Neanderthals and representatives of Homo sapiens began to interbreed. The new work speaks in favor of the latter hypothesis.
Scientists have studied teeth aged 38-40 thousand years, which were found in the Manot cave in the Western Galilee. In-depth laboratory studies were carried out using the technology of micro-scanning and three-dimensional analysis. The results surprised the researchers.
Two teeth morphologically turned out to be typical for the species Homo sapiens, and one tooth is characteristic of Neanderthals. But the last of the teeth studied, the fourth, gave out a genetic mix. In it, the researchers identified a combination of features typical of both Neanderthals and Homo sapiens.
Similar genetic mixing was previously found in fossilized remains, but only in representatives of European populations of the early Paleolithic. The new case is the first such fact recorded by ancient people in the Levant.
According to the authors of the work, this indicates the common origin of the peoples of Europe and the Levant, which suggests their migration approximately 40 thousand years ago. However, the discovery unexpectedly gave rise to a new mystery.
"After the migration of the European population to this region, a new culture existed in the Levant for a short time, approximately 2000-3000 years," says study co–author Dr. Rachel Sarig. – Then it disappeared for no apparent reason. But now we know something about the composition of this culture."
Portal "Eternal youth" http://vechnayamolodost.ru