Study finds late Neanderthals were genetically healthy

A new analysis of DNA from 27 Neanderthals recovered in Belgium and France shows these late populations were more genetically healthy and connected than previously thought. Earlier work relied on four high-quality genomes, three from Siberia, which suggested isolation and inbreeding; the new western European genomes do not show repeated close mating or a steady buildup of harmful mutations. Chemical bone clues also indicate mobility across regions, and none of the newly sequenced individuals show recent modern human ancestry. The findings weaken the genetic-decline hypothesis and redirect attention to competition, climate change, or multiple pressures as extinction causes.

Late Neanderthals showed genetic health and regional connectivity