Oldest Neanderthal Population in Central-Eastern Europe Identified via DNA from Stajnia Cave

Exam-focused facts from the 23 April 2026 current affairs briefing.

Key facts

Scientists have reconstructed the oldest Neanderthal population in Central-Eastern Europe using DNA from the Stajnia Cave in Poland.
The genetic evidence dates back over 80,000 years and was extracted from a Neanderthal tooth.
Using paleogenomic methodology to analyse mitochondrial DNA, researchers found the group was genetically connected to contemporary Neanderthals in the Caucasus area.
The discovery was published in the journal Scientific Reports in an article titled First multi-individual Neanderthal mitogenomes from north of the Carpathians.
The study indicates that climate changes during the Ice Age served as drivers for migratory events and population turnovers across Eurasia.