They survived ice ages and hunted mammoths; so why did the Neanderthals suddenly disappear? Now a physicist blames something in the sky
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Radiation as a Hidden Killer?
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Neanderthals have long puzzled scientists. These ancient relatives of modern humans thrived across Europe and parts of Asia for hundreds of thousands of years. But around 40,000 years ago, they disappeared, just as Homo sapiens spread across the same regions. What really caused their extinction remains one of human evolution's biggest mysteries.Now, a new and unusual theory suggests that space weather, not climate, competition, or disease, may have played a decisive role.A recent study by Dr. Agnit Mukhopadhyay, a space physicist from the University of Michigan , proposes that a powerful cosmic event known as the Laschamp excursion might have played a part in the Neanderthals' decline. The findings were published in the journal Science Advances.The Laschamp event occurred about 41,000 years ago, when the Earth's magnetic poles temporarily flipped. During this brief reversal, the planet's magnetic field, which normally protects us from cosmic radiation, dramatically weakened for several centuries.Mukhopadhyay argues that this weakening may have exposed the Earth's surface to much higher levels of ultraviolet (UV) and cosmic radiation, particularly in some parts of the world.The core of the hypothesis is that Neanderthals, already living in small, isolated populations, may have been more vulnerable to this radiation than Homo sapiens. The study claims that Homo sapiens had tighter clothing, used red ochre as UV protection, and took shelter in caves helping them survive the radiation. Neanderthals, in contrast, might have lacked these protections.Computer simulations in the study even show that auroras, a sign of increased solar activity, might have been visible across much of the world during this time, proof, the author argues, of the heightened radiation environment.While the theory is bold and imaginative, many experts are skeptical.Researchers José-Miguel Tejero and Montserrat Sanz Borràs, writing for The Conversation, point out that the idea rests on shaky archaeological evidence.For example, it assumes that Neanderthals didn't wear fitted clothing. While it's true that no sewing needles have been found at Neanderthal sites, there is clear evidence that they processed animal hides and likely wore functional garments using other techniques, such as tying hides with leather cords or splinters.In fact, genetic studies of lice suggest that humans, possibly including Neanderthals, were already wearing clothes over 200,000 years ago. The absence of needles doesn't prove the absence of clothes.The study also claims that Homo sapiens used red ochre as sunblock. While experiments show that ochre can somewhat block UV rays, this claim is also disputed. Ochre was widely used by both Neanderthals and modern humans, often for symbolic or cosmetic reasons. There is no solid evidence that either group used it primarily for sun protection.Neanderthals are known to have used ochre for over 100,000 years. In one example, a painted scallop shell found in a Neanderthal cave in Spain shows their symbolic use of pigments long before Homo sapiens arrived in Europe.Most scientists believe that multiple factors caused the Neanderthals' disappearance. These include, interbreeding with Homo sapiens (evident in modern DNA), smaller populations that were more vulnerable to decline, limited long-range hunting tools, unlike the projectile weapons used by sapiens, Changing climate, and possibly, competition for resources.In this broader context, Mukhopadhyay's theory appears too narrow. Critics note that there is no archaeological evidence of a sudden, global collapse of Neanderthal populations tied to the Laschamp event. If radiation were such a major factor, it would have also harmed Homo sapiens populations living outside caves in sunny Africa, which doesn't seem to have happened.The Neanderthal story is complex. These early humans were not primitive brutes. They developed tools, built shelters, made symbolic objects, and survived in extreme climates for hundreds of thousands of years. They even lived through earlier magnetic reversals, such as the Blake event 120,000 years ago.Mukhopadhyay's theory adds an intriguing piece to the puzzle, but it's far from conclusive.So, did a shift in Earth's magnetic field doom the Neanderthals?Probably not. While the Laschamp event may have had some environmental impact, there's no strong evidence that it caused Neanderthal extinction . The theory suggests that the disappearance of Neanderthals was likely due to a mix of climate, biology, and human interaction.
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Economic Times
4 hours ago
- Economic Times
They survived ice ages and hunted mammoths; so why did the Neanderthals suddenly disappear? Now a physicist blames something in the sky
Live Events Radiation as a Hidden Killer? A Caution Against Oversimplification (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Neanderthals have long puzzled scientists. These ancient relatives of modern humans thrived across Europe and parts of Asia for hundreds of thousands of years. But around 40,000 years ago, they disappeared, just as Homo sapiens spread across the same regions. What really caused their extinction remains one of human evolution's biggest a new and unusual theory suggests that space weather, not climate, competition, or disease, may have played a decisive role.A recent study by Dr. Agnit Mukhopadhyay, a space physicist from the University of Michigan , proposes that a powerful cosmic event known as the Laschamp excursion might have played a part in the Neanderthals' decline. The findings were published in the journal Science Laschamp event occurred about 41,000 years ago, when the Earth's magnetic poles temporarily flipped. During this brief reversal, the planet's magnetic field, which normally protects us from cosmic radiation, dramatically weakened for several argues that this weakening may have exposed the Earth's surface to much higher levels of ultraviolet (UV) and cosmic radiation, particularly in some parts of the core of the hypothesis is that Neanderthals, already living in small, isolated populations, may have been more vulnerable to this radiation than Homo sapiens. The study claims that Homo sapiens had tighter clothing, used red ochre as UV protection, and took shelter in caves helping them survive the radiation. Neanderthals, in contrast, might have lacked these simulations in the study even show that auroras, a sign of increased solar activity, might have been visible across much of the world during this time, proof, the author argues, of the heightened radiation the theory is bold and imaginative, many experts are José-Miguel Tejero and Montserrat Sanz Borràs, writing for The Conversation, point out that the idea rests on shaky archaeological example, it assumes that Neanderthals didn't wear fitted clothing. While it's true that no sewing needles have been found at Neanderthal sites, there is clear evidence that they processed animal hides and likely wore functional garments using other techniques, such as tying hides with leather cords or fact, genetic studies of lice suggest that humans, possibly including Neanderthals, were already wearing clothes over 200,000 years ago. The absence of needles doesn't prove the absence of study also claims that Homo sapiens used red ochre as sunblock. While experiments show that ochre can somewhat block UV rays, this claim is also disputed. Ochre was widely used by both Neanderthals and modern humans, often for symbolic or cosmetic reasons. There is no solid evidence that either group used it primarily for sun are known to have used ochre for over 100,000 years. In one example, a painted scallop shell found in a Neanderthal cave in Spain shows their symbolic use of pigments long before Homo sapiens arrived in scientists believe that multiple factors caused the Neanderthals' disappearance. These include, interbreeding with Homo sapiens (evident in modern DNA), smaller populations that were more vulnerable to decline, limited long-range hunting tools, unlike the projectile weapons used by sapiens, Changing climate, and possibly, competition for this broader context, Mukhopadhyay's theory appears too narrow. Critics note that there is no archaeological evidence of a sudden, global collapse of Neanderthal populations tied to the Laschamp event. If radiation were such a major factor, it would have also harmed Homo sapiens populations living outside caves in sunny Africa, which doesn't seem to have Neanderthal story is complex. These early humans were not primitive brutes. They developed tools, built shelters, made symbolic objects, and survived in extreme climates for hundreds of thousands of years. They even lived through earlier magnetic reversals, such as the Blake event 120,000 years theory adds an intriguing piece to the puzzle, but it's far from did a shift in Earth's magnetic field doom the Neanderthals?Probably not. While the Laschamp event may have had some environmental impact, there's no strong evidence that it caused Neanderthal extinction . The theory suggests that the disappearance of Neanderthals was likely due to a mix of climate, biology, and human interaction.
Time of India
4 hours ago
- Time of India
They survived ice ages and hunted mammoths; so why did the Neanderthals suddenly disappear? Now a physicist blames something in the sky
Neanderthals have long puzzled scientists. These ancient relatives of modern humans thrived across Europe and parts of Asia for hundreds of thousands of years. But around 40,000 years ago, they disappeared, just as Homo sapiens spread across the same regions. What really caused their extinction remains one of human evolution's biggest mysteries. Now, a new and unusual theory suggests that space weather, not climate, competition, or disease, may have played a decisive role. A recent study by Dr. Agnit Mukhopadhyay, a space physicist from the University of Michigan , proposes that a powerful cosmic event known as the Laschamp excursion might have played a part in the Neanderthals' decline. The findings were published in the journal Science Advances. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like If You Eat Ginger Everyday for 1 Month This is What Happens Tips and Tricks Undo The Laschamp event occurred about 41,000 years ago, when the Earth's magnetic poles temporarily flipped. During this brief reversal, the planet's magnetic field, which normally protects us from cosmic radiation, dramatically weakened for several centuries. Mukhopadhyay argues that this weakening may have exposed the Earth's surface to much higher levels of ultraviolet (UV) and cosmic radiation, particularly in some parts of the world. Live Events Radiation as a Hidden Killer? The core of the hypothesis is that Neanderthals, already living in small, isolated populations, may have been more vulnerable to this radiation than Homo sapiens. The study claims that Homo sapiens had tighter clothing, used red ochre as UV protection, and took shelter in caves helping them survive the radiation. Neanderthals, in contrast, might have lacked these protections. Computer simulations in the study even show that auroras, a sign of increased solar activity, might have been visible across much of the world during this time, proof, the author argues, of the heightened radiation environment. While the theory is bold and imaginative, many experts are skeptical. Researchers José-Miguel Tejero and Montserrat Sanz Borràs, writing for The Conversation, point out that the idea rests on shaky archaeological evidence. For example, it assumes that Neanderthals didn't wear fitted clothing. While it's true that no sewing needles have been found at Neanderthal sites, there is clear evidence that they processed animal hides and likely wore functional garments using other techniques, such as tying hides with leather cords or splinters. In fact, genetic studies of lice suggest that humans, possibly including Neanderthals, were already wearing clothes over 200,000 years ago. The absence of needles doesn't prove the absence of clothes. The study also claims that Homo sapiens used red ochre as sunblock. While experiments show that ochre can somewhat block UV rays, this claim is also disputed. Ochre was widely used by both Neanderthals and modern humans, often for symbolic or cosmetic reasons. There is no solid evidence that either group used it primarily for sun protection. Neanderthals are known to have used ochre for over 100,000 years. In one example, a painted scallop shell found in a Neanderthal cave in Spain shows their symbolic use of pigments long before Homo sapiens arrived in Europe. Most scientists believe that multiple factors caused the Neanderthals' disappearance. These include, interbreeding with Homo sapiens (evident in modern DNA), smaller populations that were more vulnerable to decline, limited long-range hunting tools, unlike the projectile weapons used by sapiens, Changing climate, and possibly, competition for resources. In this broader context, Mukhopadhyay's theory appears too narrow. Critics note that there is no archaeological evidence of a sudden, global collapse of Neanderthal populations tied to the Laschamp event. If radiation were such a major factor, it would have also harmed Homo sapiens populations living outside caves in sunny Africa, which doesn't seem to have happened. A Caution Against Oversimplification The Neanderthal story is complex. These early humans were not primitive brutes. They developed tools, built shelters, made symbolic objects, and survived in extreme climates for hundreds of thousands of years. They even lived through earlier magnetic reversals, such as the Blake event 120,000 years ago. Mukhopadhyay's theory adds an intriguing piece to the puzzle, but it's far from conclusive. So, did a shift in Earth's magnetic field doom the Neanderthals? Probably not. While the Laschamp event may have had some environmental impact, there's no strong evidence that it caused Neanderthal extinction . The theory suggests that the disappearance of Neanderthals was likely due to a mix of climate, biology, and human interaction.
Time of India
13 hours ago
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Normalcy returned, tourism thriving in J&K: Jitendra Singh
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel Union Minister Jitendra Singh on Sunday said that normalcy has returned and tourism is thriving in Jammu and Kashmir."Visit Pahalgam today, where a tragic incident occurred recently and you will find it crowded with people," he said in a statement issued by the Personnel the Minister of State for Personnel, cited the integration of northeast and Jammu and Kashmir into India's mainstream development."For decades, these regions waited for railways - but under Prime Minister Narendra Modi, trains now run in valleys that were once isolated," he minister recounted the first-time commissioning of Jammu station in 1972 and the long gap in progress until Prime Minister Modi fulfilled this dream over half a century later, flagging off Vande Bharat train the current situation in Jammu and Kashmir, Singh assured that normalcy has returned and tourism is the government's achievements in the last 11 years under Prime Minister Modi's leadership, the minister said that each passing year has marked a new milestone - be it in infrastructure, governance, technology or youth empowerment - creating unprecedented opportunities for every to the prime minister's historic 2016 call of "Start-Up India, Stand-Up India", Singh emphasised how it broadened the employment horizon beyond traditional government jobs."It was only then people realised that job doesn't only mean 'sarkari naukri' (government job), but also innovation, enterprise and startups," he about the young crew members from Manipur, who lost their lives in the tragic Ahmedabad air crash, the minister said it shows "how far the region has come from isolation to being part of the international aviation and hospitality industry ".Singh reaffirmed India's leadership in the fields of space and biotechnology, highlighting the nation's growing global stature in science and said that India's astronaut, Group Captain Shubhanshu Shukla, will serve as the Mission Pilot on the Axiom-4 mission, where he will conduct cutting-edge space biology experiments using indigenously developed biotech kits by the Department of Biotechnology (DBT).Singh said India is steadily progressing towards establishing its own ' Bharat Antariksh Station ' by 2035, marking a significant milestone in the country's space the Modi government's clean record, the minister said that not a single charge of corruption has surfaced against any member of the Union Council of ministers in the last 11 years."Compare that to the previous regime, where scams were the norm," he added.
