Did Neandertal people last longer than people thought?

Neandertal people have lived many thousands of years longer than scientists thought so far. It is confirmed by a study published in the journal Nature. This study demonstrates that Neandertal people used to be in a cave in Gibraltar for at least 2,000 years after the time when this man was considered to have disappeared.

The Neandertal people who appeared about 200,000 years ago were technically outdated hunters, born in West Asia before migrating to Europe. This human species became extinct from about 35,000 to 40,000 BC, giving way to the current human ancestor, the modern man from an anatomical point of view, also known as homo sapiens.

But according to the study of the Gibraltar Museum, the remnants of Neandertal-hunted coals and bones found in Gorham Cave in Gibraltar prove that the human race once lived in this European region. 28,000, even 24,000 years ago.

'This may be the last to represent the Neandertal' , explains Clive Finalayson, a researcher at the Gibraltar Museum.

However, this new information has not been unanimously agreed by the paleontological community. For years, they wondered about the conditions that made Neandertal people disappear. Is this human extinct due to unequal competition with homo-sapienes - more advanced - in exploiting food sources? Are Neandertal victims of new ' imported ' diseases from modern people or due to a climate change? Are these two species related to each other, if so, how?

Neandertal people live in caves (Photo: ojcow)