Trending Now - Ancient DNA Uncovers Long-lost Neanderthal Community
WHO:
Science Daily - Researchers from the University of Bologna, including Professor Andrea Picin, and Dr. Wioletta Nowaczewska from the University of Wrocław, and Dr. Adam Nadachowski from the Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals at the Polish Academy of Sciences.
Sci.News - Dr. Mateja Hajdinjak, a researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology.
WHAT:
Sci.News - The study revealed that the Neanderthals with similar genetic signatures lived as far apart as southeastern France, the Iberian Peninsula, and the northern Caucasus.
Sci.News - The researchers determined that the fossils came from at least seven — and possibly eight — Neanderthal individuals.
Sci.News - The study involved the analysis of mitochondrial DNA from nine specimens found in Stajnia Cave.
Science Daily - A genetic breakthrough has uncovered a Neanderthal community that lived together approximately 100,000 years ago.
Sci.News - Mitochondrial DNA from eight fossils indicates a tight-knit group of Neanderthals, with findings suggesting at least seven individuals, possibly eight.
Sci.News - Three specimens carry identical mitochondrial DNA, indicating they are from the same or maternally related individuals.
Sci.News - The study provides the oldest known group of multiple Neanderthals identified through genetic evidence in Central Europe.
WHERE:
Science Daily - The Neanderthal community was located in what is now Poland.
Sci.News - The fossils were found in Stajnia Cave, situated at an elevation of 359 meters, between the villages of Mirów and Bobolice in the Kraków-Częstochowa Upland of southern Poland.
WHEN:
Science Daily - The Neanderthals lived approximately 100,000 years ago.
Sci.News - The warm period during which these individuals lived is estimated to be between 120,000 and 92,500 years ago.
Sci.News - The study's findings were published on April 20th, 2026, in the journal Current Biology.
WHY:
Sci.News - The findings suggest that the maternal lineage of these Neanderthals was once widespread across Europe before being replaced by a different genetic line seen in later Neanderthals.
HOW:
Sci.News - The researchers extracted and analyzed mitochondrial DNA from nine specimens, including nine human teeth, five of which have been identified as Neanderthal.
Sci.News - Researchers extracted and analyzed mitochondrial DNA from nine specimens found in Stajnia Cave.
Sci.News - The study involved comparing the mitochondrial DNA of the Stajnia Neanderthals with that of a Neanderthal known as Thorin, discovered in Mandrin Cave in France.
(UPDATED April 22, 2026 15:23 UTC)
A new study has revealed that Neanderthals with similar genetic signatures lived in diverse regions, including southeastern France, the Iberian Peninsula, and the northern Caucasus. Researchers analyzed mitochondrial DNA from nine specimens found in Stajnia Cave, determining that the fossils belonged to at least seven, and possibly eight, Neanderthal individuals. Among the specimens were nine human teeth, five of which have been identified as Neanderthal.
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(UPDATED April 22, 2026 11:26 UTC)
A groundbreaking study published on Monday in the journal Current Biology reveals the discovery of a Neanderthal community that lived together in what is now Poland around 100,000 years ago. Researchers from the University of Bologna, the University of Wrocław, and the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology analyzed mitochondrial DNA from nine fossils found in Stajnia Cave, indicating a close-knit group of at least seven individuals, with three specimens sharing identical maternal lineage. This research provides the oldest known genetic evidence of multiple Neanderthals in Central Europe, suggesting that their maternal lineage was once widespread across the continent before being replaced by different genetic lines.