One element might be the key to early humans outliving Neanderthals: sunscreen

New study

New study, Better adaptation, An enduring mystery, Shifting magnetic field, Auroras, sun particles, and heat, Linking it with other elements, Primitive sunscreen, Increased radiation, Other skills, Neanderthal extinction, Correlational

A new study by researchers at the University of Michigan shed light on one possible event behind the extinction of Neanderthals: a shift in the Earth's magnetic field.

Better adaptation

New study, Better adaptation, An enduring mystery, Shifting magnetic field, Auroras, sun particles, and heat, Linking it with other elements, Primitive sunscreen, Increased radiation, Other skills, Neanderthal extinction, Correlational

According to the BBC's Science Focus, the study suggested that Neanderthals failed to adapt to the changes brought by the shift. Early humans, on the other hand, did so quickly.

An enduring mystery

New study, Better adaptation, An enduring mystery, Shifting magnetic field, Auroras, sun particles, and heat, Linking it with other elements, Primitive sunscreen, Increased radiation, Other skills, Neanderthal extinction, Correlational

The Smithsonian Magazine said that the extinction of Neanderthals has been an enduring mystery for experts. The new study provides an interesting hypothesis to explain it.

Shifting magnetic field

New study, Better adaptation, An enduring mystery, Shifting magnetic field, Auroras, sun particles, and heat, Linking it with other elements, Primitive sunscreen, Increased radiation, Other skills, Neanderthal extinction, Correlational

Around 40,000 years ago, Science Focus explained, the Earth's magnetic field power changed as the North Pole moved down near the Equator. Experts believe this reduced its power to around 10%.

Auroras, sun particles, and heat

New study, Better adaptation, An enduring mystery, Shifting magnetic field, Auroras, sun particles, and heat, Linking it with other elements, Primitive sunscreen, Increased radiation, Other skills, Neanderthal extinction, Correlational

The event, called the Laschamps excursion, increased solar radiation in several areas of the planet. Early humans could witness auroras from Europe and North Africa but were also under higher danger from the Sun.

Linking it with other elements

New study, Better adaptation, An enduring mystery, Shifting magnetic field, Auroras, sun particles, and heat, Linking it with other elements, Primitive sunscreen, Increased radiation, Other skills, Neanderthal extinction, Correlational

Dr. Agnit Mukhopadhyay, the lead author, told Science Focus that the team located the most affected regions and found it correlated to the areas where early humans used caves and sunscreen.

Primitive sunscreen

New study, Better adaptation, An enduring mystery, Shifting magnetic field, Auroras, sun particles, and heat, Linking it with other elements, Primitive sunscreen, Increased radiation, Other skills, Neanderthal extinction, Correlational

Associate Professor Raven Garvey, a co-author of the study, told the magazine that archeological evidence from that period shows an increased use of ocher, which acted as a primitive sunscreen.

Increased radiation

New study, Better adaptation, An enduring mystery, Shifting magnetic field, Auroras, sun particles, and heat, Linking it with other elements, Primitive sunscreen, Increased radiation, Other skills, Neanderthal extinction, Correlational

The ocher might have contributed to early humans' adaptation to increased radiation, which Neanderthals failed to do. However, it was not the only element the researchers found.

Other skills

New study, Better adaptation, An enduring mystery, Shifting magnetic field, Auroras, sun particles, and heat, Linking it with other elements, Primitive sunscreen, Increased radiation, Other skills, Neanderthal extinction, Correlational

Archeological evidence of that period also includes sawing tools, showing that early Homo sapiens also wore clothes that protected them from the Sun. The use of caves also helped.

Neanderthal extinction

New study, Better adaptation, An enduring mystery, Shifting magnetic field, Auroras, sun particles, and heat, Linking it with other elements, Primitive sunscreen, Increased radiation, Other skills, Neanderthal extinction, Correlational

"There's definitely a rough overlap in timing between the incursion of ancient modern humans into Europe and the Laschamps event," Amy Mosig Way, an archaeologist who was not involved in the study, told New Scientist.

Correlational

New study, Better adaptation, An enduring mystery, Shifting magnetic field, Auroras, sun particles, and heat, Linking it with other elements, Primitive sunscreen, Increased radiation, Other skills, Neanderthal extinction, Correlational

However, she warned that the study's conclusion could be "a stretch." The authors admitted to Science Focus that the evidence is correlational. The overlapping does not necessarily explain what happened.

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