Ancient DNA reveals a hidden Neanderthal group frozen in time

"This is an extraordinary result because, for the first time, we are able to observe a small group of at least seven Neanderthals from Central-Eastern Europe who lived around 100,000 years ago," says Andrea Picin, professor at the University of Bologna and coordinator of the research. "In most cases, Neanderthal genetic data come from single fossils or from remains scattered across different sites and periods. At Stajnia, by contrast, it has been possible to reconstruct a small group of individuals, providing for the first time a coherent genetic picture of Neanderthals in this part of Europe."

Rare Snapshot of a Neanderthal Community

Researchers had already recognized the importance of Stajnia Cave, but the new findings went beyond expectations. The site has now yielded evidence of a distinct group of Neanderthals, offering a rare glimpse into how these ancient humans may have lived together.

"We had known for some time that Stajnia Cave preserved exceptional evidence, but these results exceeded our expectations," say Wioletta Nowaczewska of the University of Wrocław and Adam Nadachowski of the Institute of Systematics and Evolution of Animals of the Polish Academy of Sciences, co-authors of the study. "Being able to identify such an ancient small group of Neanderthals in such a complex site is an important achievement for Polish research and for the study of Neanderthals in Europe."

Genetic Links Across Europe and Beyond

The findings also shed light on how certain Neanderthal maternal lineages were distributed across western Eurasia. The mitochondrial DNA from the Stajnia individuals belongs to the same genetic branch found in Neanderthals from the Iberian Peninsula, south-eastern France, and the northern Caucasus. This pattern suggests that this lineage was once widespread before later Neanderthal populations replaced it with different genetic traits.

"A particularly fascinating aspect is that two teeth belonging to juvenile individuals and one belonging to an adult share the same mitochondrial DNA," adds Mateja Hajdinjak, co-author of the article and researcher at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology. "This suggests that these individuals might be closely related to each other."

Rethinking Dates of Ancient Neanderthal Fossils

The study also highlights the challenges of determining accurate ages for ancient remains. Researchers compared their results with the Neanderthal fossil known as Thorin, discovered in Mandrin Cave in France. Thorin carries a mitochondrial genome similar to that of the Stajnia group and has been dated to about 50,000 years ago.

"Our study is a reminder that the oldest chronologies must be treated with great caution," explains Sahra Talamo, professor at the University of Bologna and co-coordinator of the study. "When radiocarbon values approach the limit of calibration, it is essential not to assign more precision than the data can actually support. In such cases, the comparison between archaeology, radiocarbon dating, and genetics becomes crucial."

Central-Eastern Europe's Role in Neanderthal History

From an archaeological perspective, these results reinforce the importance of Central-Eastern Europe in Neanderthal history. Rather than being a peripheral region, this area likely played a central role in population movements, biological connections, and the spread of technologies during the Middle Paleolithic.

Stajnia Cave and the surrounding region in southern Poland now stand out as key locations for understanding not only the biology of Neanderthals, but also how different groups moved across Europe and interacted over large distances.