A new mathematical model suggests that Neanderthals didn't go extinct due to inferiority, but rather were absorbed through interbreeding with migrating Homo sapiens populations, leading to their genetic dilution over time.
The article discusses the existence of over 20 early human species that coexisted with Homo sapiens, their potential reasons for extinction (climate change, competition, interbreeding), and the current understanding of human evolution.
This study uses ecological niche modeling to reconstruct the palaeodistribution of Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans during Marine Isotope Stage 5, identifying the Zagros Mountains as a potential contact and interbreeding zone.
