Axel Timmermann, director of the IBS Center for Climate Physics at the National University of Pusan, South Korea, explains that this was the first realistic model developed to study the event. Based on scenarios of migration, interaction, competition and species crossing during intense climatic activity, the result of applying this methodology was published in the journal Quaternary Science Review. Composed of thousands of lines of code, the model developed was executed on Aleph, the institution’s supercomputer, which solved a series of equations taking into account the glacial period and the amount of rain, in addition to vegetation patterns. What was noticed was that both hominids competed fiercely for food resources, according to genetic and demographic data. “It is no coincidence that Neanderthals disappeared just when they came across Homo sapiens,” says Timmermann. Variations applied and conclusion Since, according to the researcher, it is possible to activate and deactivate any of the standards, disregarding, for example, factors such as climate change and crossing, it was possible to carry out a series of comparisons that allowed the result to be validated. “It is the first time that we are able to quantify such extinction”, he explains. Details, unfortunately, remain a mystery, but it is assumed that the rise of Homo sapiens was due to its improved hunting techniques, greater resistance to pathogens and the high level of fertilization. Therefore, competition was really responsible for the disappearance of Neanderthals. Axel goes further in his explanations: “During their long journey on the planet, Neanderthals faced even more extreme climatic conditions when compared to those that occurred during their disappearance. These simulations demonstrate what may have been the first extinction caused by our species ”. Studies, of course, will not stop there. The model is being enhanced to include even more realistic megafauna and weather events. “Thus, climate scientists can join mathematicians, geneticists, archeologists and anthropologists”, concludes Timmermann.
