Neanderthal Genomes From Western Europe Show Genetic Health 45,000 Years Ago

Researchers analyzed 27 high-quality Neanderthal genomes from Western Europe and determined that the species remained genetically healthy approximately 45,000 years ago, @ScienceMagazine reported. The genomes indicated that Neanderthals lived in large, well-connected groups at that time. Neanderthals had survived for hundreds of thousands of years in Eurasia.

They hunted woolly mammoths and rhinoceroses and harvested edible grasses, tubers, and legumes. The tail end of Neanderthal existence occurred around 45,000 years ago.