Neanderthal extinction hypotheses are plausible explanations on how Neanderthals became extinct around 30,000 years ago.
Since the discovery of Neanderthal remains, both the Neanderthals' place in the human family tree and their relation to modern Europeans has been hotly debated. At different times they have been classified as a separate species (Homo neanderthalensis) and as a subspecies within our modern human species (Homo sapiens, Homo sapiens neandertalensis).
Hypotheses on the fate of the Neanderthals include a failure or inability to adapt to climate change, competitive exclusion, or genocide by encroaching anatomically modern humans (AMH), who arrived in Europe long after Neanderthals had settled there. Neanderthal hybridization with early modern human populations is also considered a viable hypothesis, and there is genetic evidence to support the idea that this occurred to some extent.
Read more about Neanderthal Extinction Hypotheses: Coexistence Prior To Extinction, Rapid Extinction By Violence, Rapid Extinction By Parasites and Pathogens, Competitive Replacement, Interbreeding, Climate Change, In Fiction
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