The Times Australia
The Times World News

.

First-ever genetic analysis of a Neanderthal family paints a fascinating picture of a close-knit community

  • Written by Laurits Skov, Postdoctoral research associate, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
First-ever genetic analysis of a Neanderthal family paints a fascinating picture of a close-knit community

Our closest evolutionary relatives, the Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis), were once spread across Europe and as far east as the Altai Mountains in southern Siberia.

Yet more than 160 years since the first Neanderthal fossils were unearthed in Europe, little is known about the group size or social organisation of Neanderthal communities.

Using ancient DNA, a new study[1] provides a snapshot of a Neanderthal community frozen in time.

With our colleagues, we show a group of Neanderthals living in the Altai foothills around 54,000 years ago consisted of perhaps 10 to 20 individuals. Many of them were closely related – including a father and his young daughter.

The easternmost Neanderthals

The first genetic clues to Neanderthals were obtained 25 years ago[2] from a fragment of mitochondrial DNA, which is found in cell structures called mitochondria rather than in the cell nucleus.

Subsequent mitochondrial DNA studies and genome-wide nuclear data from 18 individuals have sketched the broad brushstrokes of Neanderthal history, revealing the existence of many genetically distinct groups between about 430,000 and 40,000 years ago.

Our new study is the first to analyse ancient DNA from the teeth and bones of multiple Neanderthals who lived at around the same time. The fossils came from archaeological excavations of Okladnikov Cave in the mid-1980s and Chagyrskaya Cave since 2007.

A map showing locations of the caves and a photo of one of them
Neanderthal DNA was sequenced from fossil remains found at Chagyrskaya Cave (photo) and Okladnikov Cave in southern Siberia. Maciej Krajcarz (map) and Richard Roberts (photo), Author provided

These caves were used by Neanderthals as hunting camps. The remains of animals such as bison and horses are abundant, and more than 80 Neanderthal fossils were also found in Chagyrskaya Cave – one of the largest such collections anywhere in the world.

Both sites also contain distinctive stone tools[3] that bear a striking resemblance to artefacts found at Neanderthal sites in central and eastern Europe.

Read more: Stone tools reveal epic trek of nomadic Neanderthals[4]

Family ties

To paint a detailed picture of the genetic makeup and relatedness of these Neanderthals, we analysed mitochondrial DNA (which is passed down the female line), Y-chromosomes (passed from father to son) and genome-wide data (inherited from both parents) for 17 Neanderthal fossils – the most ever sequenced in a single study.

A range of bones and teeth on a dark background Neanderthal teeth and bones from Chagyrskaya Cave (A, B) and Okladnikov Cave (C) included in our study. The white bar in each panel is 1 cm in length. Bence Viola, Author provided

The teeth and bones came from 13 individuals: 11 from Chagyrskaya Cave and two from Okladnikov Cave. Seven of the Neanderthals were male and six were female. Eight were adults and five were children or adolescents.

Among them were the remains of a Neanderthal father and his teenage daughter, as well as a pair of second-degree relatives – a young boy and an adult female, perhaps his cousin, aunt or grandmother.

Although the nearby site of Denisova Cave[5] was inhabited by Neanderthals from as early as 200,000 years ago, the Chagyrskaya and Okladnikov Neanderthals are more closely related to European Neanderthals than to the earlier ones at Denisova Cave.

This finding is consistent with a previous genomic study[6] of a Chagyrskaya Neanderthal and the presence of distinctive stone tools at Chagyrskaya and Okladnikov Caves that closely resemble those found at Neanderthal sites in Europe.

A graph showing relations among the various species Phylogenetic tree of mitochondrial DNA sequences showing the evolutionary relationships among the Chagyrskaya (blue) and Okladnikov (orange) Neanderthals included in our study, Neanderthals from Denisova Cave and Europe, and present-day humans from Africa, East Asia and Europe. Author provided

We also found the Chagyrskaya Neanderthals share several heteroplasmies – a special kind of mitochondrial DNA variant that typically persists for less than three generations.

Taken together with the evidence for their close family connections, these indicate the Chagyrskaya Neanderthals must have lived – and died – at around the same time.

On the brink of extinction

Our analyses also revealed this Neanderthal community had extremely low genetic diversity – consistent with a group size of just 10 to 20 people.

This is much smaller than the genetic diversity recorded for any ancient or present-day human community, and is more like that found among endangered species at risk of extinction, such as mountain gorillas[7].

The Chagyrskaya Neanderthals were not a community of hermits, however. We discovered their mitochondrial DNA diversity was much higher than their Y-chromosome diversity, which can be explained by the predominance of female (rather than male) migration between Neanderthal communities.

Did these migrations involve Denisovans, who occupied Denisova Cave repeatedly from at least 250,000 years ago to around 50,000 years ago?

Read more: Dirty secrets: sediment DNA reveals a 300,000-year timeline of ancient and modern humans living in Siberia[8]

Denisovans are a sister group to Neanderthals and they interbred at least once. This happened around 100,000 years ago, producing a daughter[9] from a Neanderthal mother and a Denisovan father.

Yet even though Denisovans were present at Denisova Cave at around the same time as the Neanderthals living at Chagyrskaya and Okladnikov Caves, we found no evidence for Denisovan gene flow into these Neanderthals in the 20,000 years leading up to their demise.

Kindred spirits

In recent years, multiple lines of evidence have shown Neanderthals possessed technical skills[10], cognitive capabilities[11] and symbolic behaviours[12] as impressive as those of our ancient Homo sapiens ancestors.

Our genetic insights add a new social dimension to this picture. They provide a rare glimpse into the close-knit family structure of a Neanderthal community eking out an existence on the eastern frontier of their geographic range, close to the time when their species finally died out.

References

  1. ^ new study (www.nature.com)
  2. ^ 25 years ago (www.cell.com)
  3. ^ distinctive stone tools (www.pnas.org)
  4. ^ Stone tools reveal epic trek of nomadic Neanderthals (theconversation.com)
  5. ^ Denisova Cave (theconversation.com)
  6. ^ previous genomic study (www.pnas.org)
  7. ^ mountain gorillas (www.worldwildlife.org)
  8. ^ Dirty secrets: sediment DNA reveals a 300,000-year timeline of ancient and modern humans living in Siberia (theconversation.com)
  9. ^ producing a daughter (www.nature.com)
  10. ^ technical skills (theconversation.com)
  11. ^ cognitive capabilities (theconversation.com)
  12. ^ symbolic behaviours (www.nature.com)

Read more https://theconversation.com/first-ever-genetic-analysis-of-a-neanderthal-family-paints-a-fascinating-picture-of-a-close-knit-community-192595

Times Magazine

Building an AI-First Culture in Your Company

AI isn't just something to think about anymore - it's becoming part of how we live and work, whether we like it or not. At the office, it definitely helps us move faster. But here's the thing: just using tools like ChatGPT or plugging AI into your wo...

Data Management Isn't Just About Tech—Here’s Why It’s a Human Problem Too

Photo by Kevin Kuby Manuel O. Diaz Jr.We live in a world drowning in data. Every click, swipe, medical scan, and financial transaction generates information, so much that managing it all has become one of the biggest challenges of our digital age. Bu...

Headless CMS in Digital Twins and 3D Product Experiences

Image by freepik As the metaverse becomes more advanced and accessible, it's clear that multiple sectors will use digital twins and 3D product experiences to visualize, connect, and streamline efforts better. A digital twin is a virtual replica of ...

The Decline of Hyper-Casual: How Mid-Core Mobile Games Took Over in 2025

In recent years, the mobile gaming landscape has undergone a significant transformation, with mid-core mobile games emerging as the dominant force in app stores by 2025. This shift is underpinned by changing user habits and evolving monetization tr...

Understanding ITIL 4 and PRINCE2 Project Management Synergy

Key Highlights ITIL 4 focuses on IT service management, emphasising continual improvement and value creation through modern digital transformation approaches. PRINCE2 project management supports systematic planning and execution of projects wit...

What AI Adoption Means for the Future of Workplace Risk Management

Image by freepik As industrial operations become more complex and fast-paced, the risks faced by workers and employers alike continue to grow. Traditional safety models—reliant on manual oversight, reactive investigations, and standardised checklist...

The Times Features

What Is the Dreamtime? Understanding Aboriginal Creation Stories Through Art

Aboriginal culture is built on the deep and important meaning of Dreamtime, which links beliefs and history with the elements that make life. It’s not just myths; the Dreamtime i...

How Short-Term Lenders Offer Long-Lasting Benefits in Australia

In the world of personal and business finance, short-term lenders are often viewed as temporary fixes—quick solutions for urgent cash needs. However, in Australia, short-term len...

Why School Breaks Are the Perfect Time to Build Real Game Skills

School holidays provide uninterrupted time to focus on individual skill development Players often return sharper and more confident after structured break-time training Holid...

Why This Elegant Diamond Cut Is Becoming the First Choice for Modern Proposals

Personalised engagement styles are replacing one-size-fits-all traditions A rising diamond cut offers timeless elegance with a softer aesthetic Its flexible design wo...

Is sleeping a lot actually bad for your health? A sleep scientist explains

We’re constantly being reminded by news articles and social media posts that we should be getting more sleep. You probably don’t need to hear it again – not sleeping enough i...

Ricoh Launches IM C401F A4 Colour MFP to Boost Speed and Security in Hybrid Workplaces

Ricoh, a leading provider of smart workplace technology, today launched the RICOH IM C401F, an enterprise-grade A4 colour desktop multifunction printer (MFP) designed for Austral...