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Neanderthals are one of the groups of ancient human species that existed long before the modern Homo Sapiens. They lived in Europe and Asia for hundreds of thousands of years, and have even walked the Earth along with us at some point in time.
Today, they are now extinct, but their remains and fossils still hold their stories. Using these things that they left behind allowed our scientists to find out some of the events that happened to their species, and one of the most important ones is a massive population collapse about 110,000 years ago.
The Genetic “Bottleneck” Uncovered
Genetic bottleneck refers to an event that caused a near-extinction phenomenon for a specific species. It is a sharp reduction in a population, which limits the genetic diversity important for evolution and adaptation.
A recent study that analyzes ancient DNA and fossil inner ear structures of Neanderthals revealed that a genetic bottleneck happened for their species about 110,000 years ago.
The reason is not exactly known, but scientists think that this event is one of the factors why they are not here with us anymore. It is because once a population suffers a genetic bottleneck, its ability to survive by fighting off diseases or changes in the environment is heavily reduced.
Read more: Earth.com
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How Scientists Confirmed the Crash
Multiple studies have suggested the same result, which is a genetic bottleneck a long time ago for the Neanderthal species. First is the direct study from Binghamton University, which researched the anatomical structures in the inner ear.
They found out that the older remains of Neanderthals have more diversity in this specific anatomy compared to their younger descendants. This is consistent with the theory of a genetic bottleneck.
In simpler words, if most of the population had similar structures in one part of their body compared to the older group of that population, such as the inner ear of younger Neanderthals, it means only a few or limited people were able to reproduce, suggesting a genetic bottleneck.
Read more: Binghamton University
Why the Cause Remains Elusive
Despite the clear evidence of a genetic bottleneck or a massive population collapse, the reason why is still unknown and would be hard to unpack. Some leading theories are the variability in climates, as the estimated time coincided with the cooling of the planet. The transition of the Earth to another Ice age.
Another is diseases and the Neanderthals early contact with the Homo Sapiens. They might have faced a contagious disease that their immune system could not fight. However, all of these reasons are unconfirmed and are just based on the environmental and evolutionary facts happening during that time.
Implications for Neanderthal Survival
As we know today, the Neanderthals are now extinct, and this could be the beginning of their end. A genetic bottleneck would expose their population to even more diseases, environmental shifts, and even inbreeding negative effects.
It is confirmed that they were able to survive this massive population collapse for a few more thousand years. But it has probably set that stage for their eventual extinction, as recovery from such phenomena is almost impossible, and only a handful of species were able to do it, including modern humans.
Author's Final Thoughts
40,000 years ago is the estimated time when Neanderthals met their extinction, and this massive population collapse sheds some light on some of their vulnerabilities as a species. However, the leading theory for why they are not walking with us anymore is still a combination of many different factors, and not just any one reason.
Read more: Scientists Say the First Humans to Do Math Weren’t Us — They Were Neanderthals and Homo Erectus
References & Further Reading
Urciuoli, A., et al. (2025). Semicircular canals shed light on bottleneck events in the evolution of the Neanderthal clade. Nature Communications. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-56155-8
Prüfer, K., et al. (2017). A high-coverage Neandertal genome from Vindija Cave in Croatia. Science. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aao1887
Mafessoni, F., et al. (2020). A high-coverage Neandertal genome from Chagyrskaya Cave. PNAS. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2004944117
Skov, L., et al. (2022). Genetic insights into the social organization of Neanderthals. Nature. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-022-05283-y
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