Using the root of one of Turin’s molars, Slimak and his colleagues determined that he was male, and were then able to sequence his complete genome. The researchers found that the Turin genome was highly genetically divergent compared to previously published genomes of late European Neanderthals; This means that the identical copies had the gene, which often indicates family marriages in recent generations. Also, there were no signs of interbreeding with modern humans at Turin.
“Our results suggest that the Turin lineage population was small in size and genetically isolated from other late Neanderthal populations for a long time,” the researchers wrote in the paper.
But the isolation of a group of Neanderthals raises questions about when and why the species disappeared.
Turin lived on earth about 42 thousand years ago
Using various methods, including radiocarbon dating and evaluation of the cave’s geological layers, the team of researchers determined that Turin died between 52,000 and 42,000 years ago. However, new evidence discovered in 2023 suggests that Turin probably lived on Earth about 42,000 years ago and was therefore one of the last Neanderthals on Earth.
“Everything about the largest extinction in human history and our understanding of this extraordinary process that led to the survival of the wise man (Homo sapiens) as the only remaining human species needs to be rewritten,” says Slimak. How can we imagine that populations that have lived in isolation for 50,000 years are only a two-week walk away from each other? “All these processes must be re-examined.”
April Novela paleontologist at the University of Victoria in Canada, said the study “supports evidence for the hypothesis that Neanderthals lived in small, socially isolated groups and had difficulty maintaining their communities.”
Omar Gokchuman“Any DNA from that time period is rare and adds to our knowledge,” says evolutionary genomicist at the University of Buffalo. “The information obtained from Turin’s genes and his burial site will help to better understand the final days of Neanderthal life.”
The paper’s authors conclude: “It is generally assumed that modern humans were responsible for the extinction of the Neanderthals. However, the genetic and cultural isolation observed in the Mandarin Cave rock shelter raises new questions about the social and behavioral structures of Neanderthals, which may have played an important role in their eventual extinction.”
