10. When and why did ''Neanderthal'' go extinct?
The "Neanderthal" were on the verge of extinction by the time modern humans started to appear. They then died out around 50,000 years ago in western Europe, but later recolonized in other parts of Europe, living about 10,000 years after before disappearing again. Basically, they went extinct around 40,000 years ago. This means that the Neanderthal overlapped with modern humans. We are not exactly sure why the Neanderthal went extinct, but many scientists consider it to have come to be extinct because of changes in environment that they could not handle. The Neaderthal had low genetic variation, so could not survive when the climate changed. Also, the Neanderthal, unlike all other hominids at the time, had not developed imagination. They only knew of what was placed in front of them, and did not have the ability to come up with possibilities of new ideas in their mind, like new technology, writing, or strong community. This led to the ultimate extinction of their species.
sources:
http://www.livescience.com/47460-neanderthal-extinction-revealed.html
Eighth History Manual
Walking With Cavemen Video
read more at: http://smithsonianscience.si.edu/2015/08/why-did-neanderthals-go-extinct/
Addie Seeligson
