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First Set of Modern Humans to Enter Europe Vanished in 5000 Years — and Left No Descendants

Remains from Ranis cave belonged to a special set of early humans that could carve their tools and establish a community in 5,000 years.

BY SOMDATTA MAITY

PUBLISHED 5 HOURS AGO

Prehistoric cavemen by the campfire 3d render - stock photo (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Denis-Art)

The book of human evolution has many cryptic chapters. One of these chapters centers around a group of modern humans who coexisted with Neanderthals around 45,000 years ago, as reported by Daily Galaxy. This group went on to leave a significant genetic impact on present-day non-African populations. This set of early humans has astonished the experts for a long time because, despite having a prominent impact on modern genetic makeup, they somehow did not leave any descendants. Findings regarding this group have been published in Nature.

Statue of a Paleolithic man at the World Heritage Bhimbetka rock shelters in Madhya Pradesh, India - stock photo (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Photo by Anders Blomqvist)

Analysis has revealed that this group migrated from the southeast to Europe 45,000 years ago. Experts believe this was the first set of modern humans to have ventured into Ice Age Europe. At that point, the region was already populated by Neanderthals. The group supposedly lived in the region for 5,000 years and then completely vanished. Even though they were around for a very short period, however, compared to the massive legacy of the human species on Earth, their interactions formed 2-3% of the genetic makeup found in present-day non-African populations.

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Moreover, researchers learned crucial insights about this group while analyzing a collection of bones found in a cave named Ranis in Germany, according to Earth. DNA examinations disclosed that the remains belonged to a unique set of modern humans that entered Europe around 45,000 years ago. These bones were revealed to be around 42,000 to 49,000 years ago. In total, the remains belonged to around six individuals, including infants, men, and women. Some of these individuals were closely related, with a pair deemed to be mother and daughter. Specific genes of these remains showcased the group's physical features.

The study claims that these individuals had brown eyes, dark hair, and dark skin. All these features indicated African origins. "These results provide us with a deeper understanding of the earliest pioneers that settled in Europe," said Johannes Krause, senior author of the study. Researchers also located a unique style of ancient objects in the cave called Lincombian-Ranisian-Jerzmanowician (LRJ) tools. For years, researchers were at a crossroads regarding the makers of LRJ tools. The age of these exceptional stone tools indicated that they could either have been carved by Neanderthals or made by an early human species living at the same time. The detection of these tools, besides the Ranis remains, implies to experts that the set of Early humans who contributed to present-day non-African populations' genetic makeup crafted these tools.

Another discovery in Czechia (Czech Republic) further showcased that these modern humans were more spread out than they previously believed. Researchers spotted a woman's skull at a site called Zlatý kůň in the country. Dating analysis revealed that the woman lived around the same time as Ranis individuals and was a fifth- or sixth-degree relative of two individuals from the German cave. The finding meant that this group of early humans created a community within their 5,000 years of recorded existence in the region, which spread across a large area.

A prehistoric caveman family camped in the caves of la Balme in France, composed of father, mother, and child. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Gregory_DUBUS) — A prehistoric caveman family camped in the caves of la Balme in France, composed of father, mother, and child. These are plastic mannequin models. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Gregory_DUBUS)

A specimen from Ranis labeled Ranis13 was so exceptionally preserved that experts were able to formulate an entire ancient genome sequence. It was the oldest high-quality modern human genome sequence ever processed by scientists. It was through this sequence that researchers unearthed that this group did not leave behind any descendants. Their genetic line completely disappeared after 5,000 years in Europe. Researchers are unsure about the exact reason behind this disappearance, but believe that it sheds light on challenges in surviving in ancient times.

As far as their genetic impact on modern humans is concerned, examinations imply that it was due to interactions with Neanderthals that happened before the group entered Europe, according to CNN. This interaction possibly involved interbreeding between the two groups 80 generations earlier or 1,500 years before the arrival. The finding aided researchers in pinpointing when Neanderthal introgression occurred in human history. Introgression is the event when humans and Neanderthals exchange genes. Despite having considerable knowledge about this event, researchers have faced issues in understanding when and how often that happened. Such discoveries possibly shed some light on the phenomenon's timeframe.