Archaeogenetic insights into the demographic history of Late Neanderthals

Fotiadou CM, Pedersen JB, Rougier H, Roksandic M, Spyrou MA, Nägele K, Reiter E, Bocherens H, Kandel AW, Haidle MN, Streicher TP, Conard NJ, Schilt F, Godinho RM, Uthmeier T, Doyon L, Semal P, Krause J, Barbieri A, Mihailović D, Crevecoeur I, Posth C (2026)

Publication Type: Journal article

Publication year: 2026

Journal

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America National Academy of Sciences

Book Volume: 123

Pages Range: e2520565123

Journal Issue: 13

DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2520565123

Abstract

The demographic history of Neanderthals is only partially understood. In Europe, some degree of genetic continuity has been shown from 120 thousand years ago (ka) onward despite the occurrence of multiple subsequent diversification events. While it has been proposed that a population turnover preceded the emergence of Late Neanderthals in Europe, the extent, timing, and geographic location of this event are currently unknown. Here, we report ten mitochondrial DNA sequences (mtDNAs) of Neanderthal individuals from six archaeological sites in Belgium, France, Germany and Serbia, and analyze them alongside 49 published mtDNAs. The integration of phylogenetic and molecular dating analyses with an extensive archaeological dataset enabled us to reconstruct temporal and spatial patterns in Neanderthal distribution. Remarkably, nearly all Late Neanderthal individuals across Europe belong to a single mtDNA lineage that diversified recently, confirming a large-scale genetic replacement. Our analyses date this diversification event to approximately 65 ka and suggest that it likely originated from a population refugium in southwestern France from which Neanderthals appear to have undergone a major range dispersal across Europe. In addition, we detect a sharp decline in the Neanderthal mtDNA effective population size beginning ~45 ka and reaching a minimum ~42 ka, shortly before their extinction. This study demonstrates that integrating molecular and archaeological datasets provides a more detailed understanding of the Late Neanderthal population's history, and highlights the critical role of climate-driven refugia and subsequent range expansions in shaping the genetic landscape of Neanderthals through time.

Authors with CRIS profile

Thorsten Uthmeier Lehrstuhl für Ur- und Frühgeschichte (UFG)

Involved external institutions

Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences BE Belgium (BE) Eberhard Karls Universität Tübingen DE Germany (DE) California State University, Northridge (CSUN) US United States (USA) (US) The University of Winnipeg / Université de winnipeg CA Canada (CA) Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology / Max-Planck-Institut für evolutionäre Anthropologie DE Germany (DE) Senckenberg Centre for Human Evolution and Palaeoenvironment (SHEP) DE Germany (DE) Vrije Universiteit Amsterdam (VU) / University Amsterdam NL Netherlands (NL) University of Algarve / Universidade do Algarve PT Portugal (PT) Université de Bordeaux FR France (FR) University of Belgrade / Универзитет у Београду RS Serbia (RS)

How to cite

APA:

Fotiadou, C.M., Pedersen, J.B., Rougier, H., Roksandic, M., Spyrou, M.A., Nägele, K.,... Posth, C. (2026). Archaeogenetic insights into the demographic history of Late Neanderthals. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 123(13), e2520565123. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2520565123

MLA:

Fotiadou, Charoula M., et al. "Archaeogenetic insights into the demographic history of Late Neanderthals." Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 123.13 (2026): e2520565123.

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