(NLDO) - The "nest" in a cave of a different species of Neanderthals in Spain may make us reconsider the cause of their extinction.
Neanderthals were cousins of our species Homo sapiens, who interbred with our ancestors before suddenly disappearing about 30,000 years ago.
The reason for their extinction remains a mystery, with theories that they - like other ancient human species - could not withstand the harsh changes in their living environment, being less adaptable than us.
Yet surprising signs of Neanderthal adaptability have been discovered in a cave.
An excavation at the Abric Pizarro site, a cave where other species once lived - Photo: Journal of Archaeological Science
Excavations of a site called Abric Pizarro in Spain have yielded thousands of artifacts dating back 65,000-100,000 years, including stone tools and animal bones.
Abric Pizarro - a cave "house" - contains many remains of small animals, showing that the aliens who once lived here were extremely versatile hunters.
They developed new hunting techniques and new lifestyles to adapt to the available food sources.
Researcher Sofia Samper Carro from the Australian National University (ANU) said the remaining animal bones showed that the heterogeneous group here successfully hunted native animals from red deer, horses, bison to small animals such as rabbits and freshwater turtles.
These animal bones are very well preserved, enough to show various traces created by hunting and food processing activities.
This reveals that the ancient people here created a very rich range of tools to maximize the available resources in the area.
"They know what they're doing. They know the area and how to survive for a long time," said Dr. Samper Carro.
This study, recently published in the Journal of Archaeological Science, is a further confirmation of the evidence that Neanderthals were not a savage species.
Earlier sites show that these other humans knew how to make sophisticated stone tools, weave fibers, and decorate their habitats with various forms of art,
With the new discovery of their high adaptability, perhaps we have to find another hypothesis to explain the extinction of this group of people.
There is a clue: The decline of this and many other human populations coincided with the rise of Homo sapiens.
There are theories that it was the "encroachment" of modern humans that was behind the extinction of many other human species.
Source: https://nld.com.vn/nguoi-khac-loai-bien-mat-phat-hien-gay-boi-roi-trong-hang-da-196240816105550015.htm
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