Humans and Neandertals may have co-existed for millennia in Western Europe
In short: Researchers using statistical modeling found that modern humans and Neandertals likely lived in the same regions of France and northern Spain for between 1,400 and 2,900 years. While the archaeological record often makes it difficult to see these two groups occupying the same space at the same time, the study suggests their overlap was significantly longer than some previous estimates.
The study used optimal linear estimation models to infer the 'missing' dates of the first human arrivals and the final Neandertal appearances in the archaeological record. By analyzing the transition between different cultural assemblages and using a dataset of directly-dated Neandertal fossils, the team provided an independent way to verify previous Bayesian models.
A limitation of this research is that it cannot determine whether these two groups actually interacted with one another during their period of co-existence.
Why it matters: Statistical modeling helps fill gaps in the archaeological record to reveal longer periods of human and Neandertal co-existence.
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