Photo courtesy of Jeff Walker via Flickr. Newly discovered human remains, animal bones, and stone tools tell scientists the story of the first Neanderthal family from around 50,000 years ago.
By Catelyn Fitzgerald ‘23
Science & Environment Editor
On Oct. 19, 2022, a group of researchers reported finding the remains of a Neanderthal family — the first discovery of its kind — to the scientific journal Nature. According to the Smithsonian Magazine, the remains were found alongside animal bones and stone tools inside the Chagyrskaya Cave in Siberia.
The excavated remains consisting of teeth and bones belonged to 11 Neanderthals who had lived in the cave around the same time, the Smithsonian Magazine stated. The article explained that the discovery of multiple individuals from the same time period is rare in archaeological sites as old as Chagyrskaya Cave, making the breakthrough an exciting moment for researchers. Nature explained that DNA analysis revealed that among the excavated group were a father and daughter, as well as two more of their distant relatives. Additionally, a possible set of cousins from another family were among the cave’s inhabitants, the article said.
Neanderthals lived in what is now Europe and Asia for over 350,000 years, before disappearing with the emergence of homo sapiens, or humans, in Europe approximately 40,000 years ago, the Smithsonian Magazine reported. The Chagyrskaya Cave remains were determined to be between 50,000 and 60,000 years old, meaning that the group lived towards the end of the Neanderthals’ time.
The group of researchers who discovered the family was led by Laurits Skov, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, and population geneticist Benjamin Peter, the Nature article stated. Also among the group was Svante Pääbo, who won the 2022 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine for his work on improving methods for extracting Neanderthal DNA according to the Smithsonian Magazine.
Discovery of the family first came about when, in 2020, analysis of female Neanderthal remains from the Chagyrskaya Cave revealed DNA that was distinct from many previously excavated Neanderthals. Further investigation of the other remains found in the cave revealed the father and daughter pair, who shared half of their DNA, which was the “surprise of [Skov’s] career,” the Nature article said.
According to the Smithsonian article, the low levels of genetic diversity found among the group revealed that the Neanderthals lived together in small groups of 10 or 20, but similarities in stone tools found in multiple caves in the area indicate that Neanderthal groups likely interacted and shared knowledge with each other.
DNA analysis also revealed new information about the Neanderthals’ family dynamics. Observations of mitochondrial DNA — which is passed down from a mother to their children — revealed genetic diversity that indicated women moved from one cave to the next while men stayed with their clan, the Nature article reported.
These groundbreaking discoveries into the lives of Neanderthals may be only the tip of the iceberg, the Nature article explained. The article stated that only one third of the cave has been excavated and a quarter of the discovered remains have been analyzed. As research in the cave continues, scientists can hope to add more branches to the Neanderthal family tree.