The origin, evolutionary history, and extinction of the Neandertals (Homo neanderthalensis, a group of late archaic humans from Europe, southwest Asia, and central Asia that immediately preceded the first modern humans in those regions), as well as the relationship between Neandertals and modern humans, have been hot topics in the field of human evolution and anthropology. As the closest evolutionary relatives of modern humans, Neandertals (also spelled Neanderthals) have been estimated by radiocarbon dating (a method of obtaining age estimates on organic materials) to have lived from approximately 300,000 to as recently as 28,000 years ago. See also: Animal evolution; Anthropology; Early modern humans; Neandertals; Radiocarbon dating

Research studies dealing with the genetic aspects and physical anthropology of Neandertals have been especially notable. In general, radiocarbon dating methodologies are used to date the majority of the youngest Neandertal sites. With the use of improved radiocarbon dating analyses, investigators have been able to assign new dates to two of the youngest known Neandertal cave sites in Spain, effectively making these sites at least 10,000 years older than previous studies had determined. By calling into question the general reliability of radiocarbon dates from other recent Neandertal sites, this revised age estimate implies that the last Neandertals might have died out much earlier than previously thought, approximately 42,000 years ago. Thus, this new research will lead to a reexamination of exactly how, when, and why these hominids succumbed to extinction. See also: Neanderthal extinction

Although this new dating result needs to be verified by further investigations, it is hoped that a more precise chronology will provide clues into the factors that ultimately resulted in the disappearance of the Neandertals. In addition to this research activity on the dating of the Neandertals, there are ongoing studies dealing with the Neandertal genome and DNA. Together, these data should provide additional insights into the degree to which Neandertals and humans coexisted, interacted, and possibly interbred. See also: Archeological chronology; Neandertal genome; Neanderthal DNA