100,000-year-old teeth reveal secrets of Neanderthal migration across Europe

A groundbreaking genetic analysis of nine Neanderthal teeth found in Stajnia Cave, Poland, is providing a new look into how ancient hominins moved and lived across the European continent.

 The teeth, which belonged to a group of at least seven individuals, have been dated to between 120,000 and 92,000 years ago, News.Az reports, citing Discover Magazine. 

This discovery marks the oldest known group of Neanderthals identified in Central-Eastern Europe, establishing the region as a vital crossroads for population movement rather than just a peripheral settlement.

By sequencing mitochondrial DNA from the enamel, an international research team found that this specific group was more closely related to Neanderthals from the Caucasus and Siberia than to those living in Western Europe at the same time. This suggests that Central-Eastern Europe served as a crucial hub for long-distance migration and genetic exchange during the Middle Paleolithic. The findings also reveal that these groups were highly mobile, potentially shifting their territories in response to the changing Ice Age climate and the movement of the large prey they hunted.

News.Az 

By Leyla Şirinova