Universität zu Köln

Guran, Saman H. ORCID: 0000-0002-7668-8804, Yousefi, Masoud ORCID: 0000-0002-1465-4027, Kafash, Anooshe ORCID: 0000-0002-3671-7068 and Ghasidian, Elham ORCID: 0000-0002-7645-774X (2024). Reconstructing contact and a potential interbreeding geographical zone between Neanderthals and anatomically modern humans. Scientific Reports, 14 (1). pp. 1-9. Springer Nature. ISSN 2045-2322

PDF s41598-024-70206-y.pdf Bereitstellung unter der CC-Lizenz: Creative Commons Attribution. Download (9MB)

Abstract

[Artikel-Nr.: 20475] While the interbreeding of Homo neanderthalensis (hereafter Neanderthal) and Anatomically modern human (AMH) has been proven, owing to the shortage of fossils and absence of appropriate DNA, the timing and geography of their interbreeding are not clearly known. In this study, we applied ecological niche modelling (maximum entropy approach) and GIS to reconstruct the palaeodistribution of Neanderthals and AMHs in Southwest Asia and Southeast Europe and identify their contact and potential interbreeding zone during marine isotope stage 5 (MIS 5), when the second wave of interbreeding occurred. We used climatic variables characterizing the environmental conditions of MIS 5 ca. 120 to 80 kyr (averaged value) along with the topography and coordinates of Neanderthal and modern human archaeological sites to characterize the palaeodistribution of each species. Overlapping the models revealed that the Zagros Mountains were a contact and potential interbreeding zone for the two human species. We believe that the Zagros Mountains acted as a corridor connecting the Palearctic/Afrotropical realms, facilitating northwards dispersal of AMHs and southwards dispersal of Neanderthals during MIS 5. Our analyses are comparable with archaeological and genetic evidence collected during recent decades.

Item Type:	Article
Creators:	Creators Email ORCID ORCID Put Code Guran, Saman H. UNSPECIFIED https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7668-8804 UNSPECIFIED Yousefi, Masoud UNSPECIFIED https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1465-4027 UNSPECIFIED Kafash, Anooshe UNSPECIFIED https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3671-7068 UNSPECIFIED Ghasidian, Elham UNSPECIFIED https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7645-774X UNSPECIFIED
URN:	urn:nbn:de:hbz:38-816150
Identification Number:	10.1038/s41598-024-70206-y
Journal or Publication Title:	Scientific Reports
Volume:	14
Number:	1
Page Range:	pp. 1-9
Number of Pages:	9
Date:	3 September 2024
Publisher:	Springer Nature
ISSN:	2045-2322
Language:	English
Faculty:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities
Divisions:	Faculty of Arts and Humanities > Fächergruppe 2: Archäologie, Altertumskunde und Kulturen des Mittelmeerraums > Institut für Ur- und Frühgeschichte
Subjects:	History of ancient world
Uncontrolled Keywords:	Keywords Language Zagros Mountains ; Ecological niche ; Palaeoenvironment ; Neanderthals ; Anatomically modern humans English
['eprint_fieldname_oa_funders' not defined]:	Publikationsfonds UzK
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	http://kups.ub.uni-koeln.de/id/eprint/81615