The Neanderthals were very much like us. Their brains were just as large, their DNA was passed on to modern humans. Living in harsh Europe, they were skilled hunters, adapted to the cold, and skilled craftsmen. Just like people, they invented and invented complex stone tools. We were similar before we came face to face, even before the era of Neanderthals was replaced by the era of Homo sapiens.
What did the crossing of the two species lead to?
After Homo sapiens left Africa, the two species came face to face. There were no wars, humans and Neanderthals interbred. This is evidenced by fragments of fossil DNA, as well as the appearance of modern Europeans and Asians. When researchers were able to study the genome of Neanderthals, they discovered some of the disease-causing genes we have today.
What diseases did humans transmit to Neanderthals?
Africa, which gave birth to modern man, gave the world many viruses. So it was in those distant times. When people left the hot continent, they were already carriers of many infections. Scientists suggest that by crossing the species in Europe, Neanderthals acquired several harmful pathogens. Among them, presumably, the herpes virus 2, which causes genital herpes, as well as the bacteria Helicobacter Pylori, which provokes stomach ulcers. There are also suggestions that people could infect their fellows with tuberculosis and worms.
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These infections have become slow killers
Evolution often leads to mass extinction of species. If we add the lack of immunity to new diseases to the factors of natural development, then we can observe a rapid acceleration of the process. However, unknown viruses did not kill the Neanderthals quickly. The fact that modern disease-causing pathogens have been found in their DNA indicates clear resistance. This means that in the Stone Age, the fight against viruses was an integral part of the struggle for survival.
Scientists are rewriting history
It was previously believed that modern viruses got to humans at the dawn of the era of agricultural development 8 thousand years ago from close interaction with livestock. But now, after decoding the DNA information of the Neanderthals, scientists have rewritten history. Thus, it was not livestock that infected humans, but humans themselves were carriers of tropical viruses. The spread of pathogens occurred several millennia earlier.
We will never find the truth
The study, which was published in the American Journal of Physical Anthropology, revealed an interesting pattern. Neanderthals met people, interbred with them, as a result of which they were infected with the herpes virus. However, unknown ailments did not kill them instantly. According to the study's author, Charlotte Howldcroft, there was a slow progression of deterioration.
There were problems of a different nature
It seems that we will never be able to come to a unified theory as to what pushed the Neanderthals towards extinction. Today people do not die from these ancient diseases. Viruses that have survived for several millennia have only a small impact on overall health. Neanderthals, faced with unknown diseases, at that time already had problems of a different nature.
Genetic data indicate that about 50 thousand years ago, the number of the species already had a critical mark. The addition of a few undesirable pathogens has weakened the existence of 15 to 30 hunting groups. When a group ceased to exist, it negatively affected the Neanderthals in general.