Homo sapiens reached the higher latitudes of Europe by 45,000 years ago

Research output: Journal contributionsJournal articlesResearchpeer-review

Authors

  • Dorothea Mylopotamitaki
  • Marcel Weiss
  • Helen Fewlass
  • Elena Irene Zavala
  • Hélène Rougier
  • Arev Pelin Sümer
  • Mateja Hajdinjak
  • Geoff M. Smith
  • Karen Ruebens
  • Virginie Sinet-Mathiot
  • Sarah Pederzani
  • Elena Essel
  • Florian S. Harking
  • Huan Xia
  • Jakob Hansen
  • André Kirchner
  • Tobias Lauer
  • Mareike Stahlschmidt
  • Michael Hein
  • Sahra Talamo
  • And 13 others
  • Lukas Wacker
  • Harald Meller
  • Holger Dietl
  • Jörg Orschiedt
  • Jesper V. Olsen
  • Hugo Zeberg
  • Kay Prüfer
  • Johannes Krause
  • Matthias Meyer
  • Frido Welker
  • Shannon P. McPherron
  • Tim Schüler
  • Jean Jacques Hublin

The Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition in Europe is associated with the regional disappearance of Neanderthals and the spread of Homo sapiens. Late Neanderthals persisted in western Europe several millennia after the occurrence of H. sapiens in eastern Europe1. Local hybridization between the two groups occurred2, but not on all occasions3. Archaeological evidence also indicates the presence of several technocomplexes during this transition, complicating our understanding and the association of behavioural adaptations with specific hominin groups4. One such technocomplex for which the makers are unknown is the Lincombian–Ranisian–Jerzmanowician (LRJ), which has been described in northwestern and central Europe5–8. Here we present the morphological and proteomic taxonomic identification, mitochondrial DNA analysis and direct radiocarbon dating of human remains directly associated with an LRJ assemblage at the site Ilsenhöhle in Ranis (Germany). These human remains are among the earliest directly dated Upper Palaeolithic H. sapiens remains in Eurasia. We show that early H. sapiens associated with the LRJ were present in central and northwestern Europe long before the extinction of late Neanderthals in southwestern Europe. Our results strengthen the notion of a patchwork of distinct human populations and technocomplexes present in Europe during this transitional period.

Original languageEnglish
JournalNature
Volume626
Issue number7998
Pages (from-to)341-346
Number of pages6
ISSN0028-0836
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - 08.02.2024

Bibliographical note

Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2024.

Recently viewed

Researchers

  1. Tanja Maier

Publications

  1. From Rana Plaza to COVID‐19
  2. Defending one's worldview under mortality salience
  3. Kosmologische Spektakel - Universale Archive
  4. Rapid Identification of Bacteria in Clinical Microbiology Routiine Diagnostics using MALDI-TOF mass spectrometry
  5. Handels- und Zusammenarbeitsabkommen EU/VK
  6. Agenturen und Integrierte Kommunikation
  7. Wozu Senden? Sendevisionen im Ersten und Dritten Fernsehzeitalter
  8. Die Collage als Spottidiom
  9. Wer kolportiert?
  10. The weighted Moran formula for the dimension of generic McMullen-Bedford carpets
  11. Experiential marketing as a tool to enhance Tourists’ pre-travel online destination experiences?
  12. Strategische Wendepunkte und Risikofrüherkennung am Beispiel des IT-Marktes
  13. Kriterien der interaktiven Unternehmenskommunikation im Internet
  14. Oliver E. Williamsons Transaktionskostenökonomik
  15. Platform for sustainable aviation fuels-combining ecological research and sustainability management with industrial needs
  16. Die Evaluationspraxis an Deutschen Schulen
  17. Passt die zeitgenössliche Kunst in ihre Institutionen?
  18. IM OSTEN GEHT DIE SONNE AUF
  19. ‚Infra-Politik‘ der Willkommensgesellschaft
  20. Albania
  21. Der deutsche Föderalismus zwischen zwei Konventen
  22. Energiekonzept: Die Energierevolution
  23. Gute fachliche Praxis
  24. Computerspiele – Neue Herausforderungen für die Ethik ?
  25. Insect abundance in managed forests benefits from multi-layered vegetation
  26. Bildungsreise in digitale Welten
  27. Magnesium recycling system prepared by permanent mould- and high pressure die casting
  28. The recombinant bifunctional protein αCD133–GPVI promotes repair of the infarcted myocardium in mice
  29. Ecological justice in agricultural systems
  30. Transdisziplinarität in der Nachhaltigkeitsforschung
  31. Schulbasierte Achtsamkeitsprogramme mit Kindern und Jugendlichen
  32. On the way to a Post-Carbon Society
  33. Inspektion der Stahlbetonteile einer Seeschleuse
  34. Aby Warburg and the Art of Translation
  35. Hochschule und Erlebnispädagogik
  36. Zeit für Systematik
  37. Veränderte Aufgaben und neue Profile. Professionalisierung und Professionalität in der Erwachsenenbildung