Neanderthals May Have Been Driven to Extinction by a Tiny Drop in Fertility Rates

By Charles Q. Choi Neanderthals could have gone extinct due to a slight drop in their fertility rates, a new study finds. The last of the Neanderthals, the closest extinct relatives of modern humans, disappeared from Europe about 40,000 years ago. Previous research estimated that at its peak, the entire Neanderthal population in both Europe and Asia …