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Study: Neanderthals Formed Small, Close Communities

时间:2022-11-07 02:03:51

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Study: Neanderthals Formed Small, Close Communities

A new study suggests Neanderthals formed small, close communities where females may have traveled to move in with their mates.

The research used genetic1 investigation2 to offer an idea of Neanderthal family life — including a father and his daughter who lived in Siberia more than 50,000 years ago.

Researchers were able to pull DNA3 out of tiny bone pieces found in two Russian caves. In their study, which appeared recently in the publication Nature, they used genetic data to map out relationships between 13 different Neanderthals and get information about how they lived.

Bence Viola of the University of Toronto helped write the study.

"When I work on a bone or two, it's very easy to forget that these are actually people with their own lives and stories," Viola said. He added, "Figuring out how they're related to each other really makes them much more human."

The Neanderthals, our ancient relatives, lived across Europe and Asia for hundreds of thousands of years. They died out around 40,000 years ago, shortly after our species, Homo sapiens, arrived in Europe from Africa.

Scientists have only recently been able to study these early humans' DNA. New Nobel prize winner Svante Paabo — who was one of the writers of this latest study — published the first study of a Neanderthal genome more than 10 years ago.

Since then, scientists have sequenced 18 Neanderthal genomes, said study lead writer Laurits Skov of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary4 Anthropology5.

But it is rare to find bones from multiple Neanderthals from the same time and place, he said — which is why these cave discoveries were so special.

"If there was ever a chance to find a Neanderthal community, this would be it," Skov said.

The caves, located in hills above a river valley, have been a rich source of materials from stone tools to fossil pieces, Viola said. With their view of animals in the valley below, Neanderthals may have used the caves as a hunting stop.

Researchers digging at the caves have found remains6 from at least 12 different Neanderthals, Viola said. These remains usually come in small bits and pieces — "a finger bone here, a tooth there" — but they're enough for scientists to get valuable DNA details.

The researchers were able to identify a couple of relatives among the group. Along with the father and daughter, there were two other relatives.

Overall, the study found that everyone in the group had a lot of DNA in common. That suggests that at least in this area, Neanderthals lived in very small communities of 10 to 20 individuals, the authors concluded. But not everyone in these groups stayed together.

Researchers looked at other genetic information from mitochondrial DNA, which is passed down on the mother's side, and the Y chromosome7, which is passed down on the father's side.

The female side showed more genetic differences than the male side. This suggests females may have moved around more, Skov said. It is possible that when a female Neanderthal found a mate, she would leave home to live with his family.

University of Wisconsin anthropologist8 John Hawks9, who was not involved in the study, said the research was an exciting use of ancient DNA evidence, even as many questions remain about Neanderthal social structures and lifestyles.

Figuring out how early humans lived is like "putting together a puzzle where we have many, many missing pieces," Hawks said. But this study means there are "more pieces on the table."

Words in This Story

DNA -- n. a substance that carries genetic information in the cells of plants and animals

actually – adv. used to stress that a statement is true especially when it differs in some way from what might have been thought or expected

species – n. biology : a group of animals or plants that are similar and can produce young animals or plants :

sequence – v. to determine the order in which things happen

puzzle – n. an image made of many small pieces that are cut into various shapes and can be fit together to form a picture


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1 genetic PgIxp     
adj.遗传的,遗传学的
参考例句:
  • It's very difficult to treat genetic diseases.遗传性疾病治疗起来很困难。
  • Each daughter cell can receive a full complement of the genetic information.每个子细胞可以收到遗传信息的一个完全补偿物。
2 investigation MRKzq     
n.调查,调查研究
参考例句:
  • In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
  • He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。
3 DNA 4u3z1l     
(缩)deoxyribonucleic acid 脱氧核糖核酸
参考例句:
  • DNA is stored in the nucleus of a cell.脱氧核糖核酸储存于细胞的细胞核里。
  • Gene mutations are alterations in the DNA code.基因突变是指DNA密码的改变。
4 evolutionary Ctqz7m     
adj.进化的;演化的,演变的;[生]进化论的
参考例句:
  • Life has its own evolutionary process.生命有其自身的进化过程。
  • These are fascinating questions to be resolved by the evolutionary studies of plants.这些十分吸引人的问题将在研究植物进化过程中得以解决。
5 anthropology zw2zQ     
n.人类学
参考例句:
  • I believe he has started reading up anthropology.我相信他已开始深入研究人类学。
  • Social anthropology is centrally concerned with the diversity of culture.社会人类学主要关于文化多样性。
6 remains 1kMzTy     
n.剩余物,残留物;遗体,遗迹
参考例句:
  • He ate the remains of food hungrily.他狼吞虎咽地吃剩余的食物。
  • The remains of the meal were fed to the dog.残羹剩饭喂狗了。
7 chromosome 7rUzX     
n.染色体
参考例句:
  • Chromosome material with exhibits of such behaviour is called heterochromatin.表现这种现象的染色体物质叫做异染色质。
  • A segment of the chromosome may become lost,resulting in a deletion.染色体的一个片段可能会丢失,结果产生染色体的缺失。
8 anthropologist YzgzPk     
n.人类学家,人类学者
参考例句:
  • The lecturer is an anthropologist.这位讲师是人类学家。
  • The anthropologist unearthed the skull of an ancient human at the site.人类学家在这个遗址挖掘出那块古人类的颅骨。
9 hawks c8b4f3ba2fd1208293962d95608dd1f1     
鹰( hawk的名词复数 ); 鹰派人物,主战派人物
参考例句:
  • Two hawks were hover ing overhead. 两只鹰在头顶盘旋。
  • Both hawks and doves have expanded their conditions for ending the war. 鹰派和鸽派都充分阐明了各自的停战条件。

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