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Neanderthals in Central Asia and Siberia

Krause, J.; Orlando, L.; Serre, D.; Viola, B.; Prüfer, K.; Richards, M.P.; Hublin, J.J.; Hänni, C.; Derevianko, A.P.; Pääbo, S.

Authors

J. Krause

L. Orlando

D. Serre

B. Viola

K. Prüfer

M.P. Richards

J.J. Hublin

C. Hänni

A.P. Derevianko

S. Pääbo



Abstract

Morphological traits typical of Neanderthals began to appear in European hominids at least 400,000 years ago1 and about 150,000 years ago2 in western Asia. After their initial appearance, such traits increased in frequency and the extent to which they are expressed until they disappeared shortly after 30,000 years ago. However, because most fossil hominid remains are fragmentary, it can be difficult or impossible to determine unambiguously whether a fossil is of Neanderthal origin. This limits the ability to determine when and where Neanderthals lived. To determine how far to the east Neanderthals ranged, we determined mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) sequences from hominid remains found in Uzbekistan and in the Altai region of southern Siberia. Here we show that the DNA sequences from these fossils fall within the European Neanderthal mtDNA variation. Thus, the geographic range of Neanderthals is likely to have extended at least 2,000 km further to the east than commonly assumed.

Citation

Krause, J., Orlando, L., Serre, D., Viola, B., Prüfer, K., Richards, M., …Pääbo, S. (2007). Neanderthals in Central Asia and Siberia. Nature, 449(7164), 902-904. https://doi.org/10.1038/nature06193

Journal Article Type Article
Publication Date Oct 1, 2007
Deposit Date Jul 14, 2009
Journal Nature
Print ISSN 0028-0836
Electronic ISSN 1476-4687
Publisher Nature Research
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 449
Issue 7164
Pages 902-904
DOI https://doi.org/10.1038/nature06193

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