Earliest modern human genomes constrain timing of Neanderthal admixture

Arev P. Sümer (), Hélène Rougier, Vanessa Villalba-Mouco, Yilei Huang, Leonardo N. M. Iasi, Elena Essel, Alba Bossoms Mesa, Anja Furtwaengler, Stéphane Peyrégne, Cesare Filippo, Adam B. Rohrlach, Federica Pierini, Fabrizio Mafessoni, Helen Fewlass, Elena I. Zavala, Dorothea Mylopotamitaki, Raffaela A. Bianco, Anna Schmidt, Julia Zorn, Birgit Nickel, Anna Patova, Cosimo Posth, Geoff M. Smith, Karen Ruebens, Virginie Sinet-Mathiot, Alexander Stoessel, Holger Dietl, Jörg Orschiedt, Janet Kelso, Hugo Zeberg, Kirsten I. Bos, Frido Welker, Marcel Weiss, Shannon P. McPherron, Tim Schüler, Jean-Jacques Hublin, Petr Velemínský, Jaroslav Brůžek, Benjamin M. Peter, Matthias Meyer, Harald Meller, Harald Ringbauer, Mateja Hajdinjak, Kay Prüfer () and Johannes Krause ()
Additional contact information
Arev P. Sümer: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Hélène Rougier: California State University Northridge
Vanessa Villalba-Mouco: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Yilei Huang: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Leonardo N. M. Iasi: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Elena Essel: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Alba Bossoms Mesa: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Anja Furtwaengler: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Stéphane Peyrégne: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Cesare Filippo: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Adam B. Rohrlach: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Federica Pierini: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Fabrizio Mafessoni: Weizmann Institute of Science
Helen Fewlass: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Elena I. Zavala: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Dorothea Mylopotamitaki: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Raffaela A. Bianco: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Anna Schmidt: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Julia Zorn: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Birgit Nickel: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Anna Patova: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Cosimo Posth: Tübingen University
Geoff M. Smith: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Karen Ruebens: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Virginie Sinet-Mathiot: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Alexander Stoessel: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Holger Dietl: Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie Sachsen-Anhalt-Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte
Jörg Orschiedt: Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie Sachsen-Anhalt-Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte
Janet Kelso: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Hugo Zeberg: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Kirsten I. Bos: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Frido Welker: University of Copenhagen
Marcel Weiss: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Shannon P. McPherron: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Tim Schüler: Thuringian State Office for the Preservation of Historical Monuments and Archaeology
Jean-Jacques Hublin: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Petr Velemínský: National Museum
Jaroslav Brůžek: Charles University
Benjamin M. Peter: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Matthias Meyer: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Harald Meller: Landesamt für Denkmalpflege und Archäologie Sachsen-Anhalt-Landesmuseum für Vorgeschichte
Harald Ringbauer: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Mateja Hajdinjak: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Kay Prüfer: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology
Johannes Krause: Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology

Nature, 2025, vol. 638, issue 8051, 711-717

Abstract: Abstract Modern humans arrived in Europe more than 45,000 years ago, overlapping at least 5,000 years with Neanderthals1–4. Limited genomic data from these early modern humans have shown that at least two genetically distinct groups inhabited Europe, represented by Zlatý kůň, Czechia3 and Bacho Kiro, Bulgaria2. Here we deepen our understanding of early modern humans by analysing one high-coverage genome and five low-coverage genomes from approximately 45,000-year-old remains from Ilsenhöhle in Ranis, Germany4, and a further high-coverage genome from Zlatý kůň. We show that distant familial relationships link the Ranis and Zlatý kůň individuals and that they were part of the same small, isolated population that represents the deepest known split from the Out-of-Africa lineage. Ranis genomes harbour Neanderthal segments that originate from a single admixture event shared with all non-Africans that we date to approximately 45,000–49,000 years ago. This implies that ancestors of all non-Africans sequenced so far resided in a common population at this time, and further suggests that modern human remains older than 50,000 years from outside Africa represent different non-African populations.

Date: 2025
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DOI: 10.1038/s41586-024-08420-x

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