https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06923-7
Published: 31 January 2024
Homo sapiens reached the higher latitudes of
Europe by 45,000 years ago

Abstract
The Middle to Upper Palaeolithic transition in
Europe is associated with the regional
disappearance of Neanderthals and the spread
of Homo sapiens. Late Neanderthals persisted
in western Europe several millennia after the
occurrence of H. sapiens in eastern Europe.
Local hybridization between the two groups
occurred, but not on all occasions.
Archaeological evidence also indicates the
presence of several technocomplexes during
this transition, complicating our understanding
and the association of behavioural adaptations
with specific hominin groups. One such
technocomplex for which the makers are unknown
is the Lincombian–Ranisian–Jerzmanowician (LRJ),
which has been described in northwestern and
central Europe5,6,7,8. Here we present the
morphological and proteomic taxonomic
identification, mitochondrial DNA analysis and
direct radiocarbon dating of human remains
directly associated with an LRJ assemblage at
the site Ilsenhöhle in Ranis (Germany). These
human remains are among the earliest directly
dated Upper Palaeolithic H. sapiens remains
in Eurasia. We show that early H. sapiens
associated with the LRJ were present in
central and northwestern Europe long before
the extinction of late Neanderthals in
southwestern Europe. Our results strengthen
the notion of a patchwork of distinct human
populations and technocomplexes present in
Europe during this transitional period.


"In summary, our work shows that the LRJ at
Ranis was made by hominins with H. sapiens
mtDNA. This indicates that pioneer groups of
H. sapiens expanded rapidly into the higher
mid-latitudes, possibly as far as the modern
day British Isles (Fig. 1b), before much
later expansions into southwestern Europe,
where directly dated Neanderthal remains are
documented until about 42,000 cal BP (Fig. 2).
Although non-directly dated and
non-genetically identified, a human deciduous
tooth from Grotte Mandrin27 also suggests an
H. sapiens incursion into southeastern France
as early as about 54,000 cal BP. If
confirmed... "

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