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Neanderthals
Let’s wrap up with our ancient cousins, the Neanderthals. DNA analysis of a 50,000-year-old toe bone from Siberia revealed that this individual’s parents were half-siblings, suggesting significant inbreeding in their population.
But unlike royal dynasties, Neanderthals didn’t choose this path – their small, isolated populations simply didn’t have many options for mates. This limited genetic diversity might have contributed to their eventual extinction, as they became less resilient to environmental changes compared to the more genetically diverse modern humans.
