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Did Ancient Viruses Help Wipe Out the Neanderthals? New DNA Discovery Sheds Light

For decades, scientists have puzzled over the mysterious extinction of the Neanderthals—our closest evolutionary cousins. They survived for over 300,000 years, yet vanished roughly 40,000 years ago, shortly after the arrival of Homo sapiens in Eurasia. Now, groundbreaking new research may offer a vital clue.

In this documentary, we explore an astonishing scientific breakthrough: the discovery of ancient viral DNA in 50,000-year-old Neanderthal remains from Chagyrskaya Cave in Siberia. For the first time, researchers have recovered direct molecular evidence of three modern virus families—adenovirus, herpesvirus, and papillomavirus—within fossilized Neanderthal bones. These viruses, still circulating in human populations today, could have been introduced by early Homo sapiens, wreaking havoc on Neanderthals who had no prior exposure or immunity.

This finding breathes new life into the long-debated "pathogen hypothesis," which suggests that infectious diseases may have played a significant role in the Neanderthals’ decline. Could viruses have tipped the balance at a crucial moment of climate stress, resource competition, and contact with modern humans? What does this mean for our understanding of ancient human disease, evolution, and survival?

Join us as we delve deep into this extraordinary research, explore its implications for paleovirology and human history, and ask the most important question of all: could viruses have been silent killers at the dawn of modern humanity?

Source:
Available at: https://www.mdpi.com/1999-4915/16/6/856

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