Neandertals were supposed to have died off about 30,000 years ago.
New accelerator mass spectrometry radiocarbon data of two specimens
from Croatia indicate that the bones are only 28,000 to 29,000 years
old. These are the most recent dates ever reported for Neandertals.
The data raise many questions about the relationship between modern
humans and Neandertals. These range from when modern humans migrated
into Europe to how much the two groups interacted.


Reference: Smith, F.H., Trinkaus, E., Pettitt, P.B. et al. 1999.
Direct radiocarbon dates for Vindija G1 and Velika Pecina late
Pleistocene hominid remains. Proc.
Nat. Acad. Sci. U.S.A. 96(22):12281-12286.
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[log in to unmask] (Liza May)