Professor Chris Stringer

So in those cases, the populations are closely packed together and it's much easier to transmit the diseases. When we go back to 50,000 years ago, populations are more scattered and living in smaller numbers. So I think that purely disease is not going to be enough of an explanation in the situation we're in because these populations are small in number and they're spread out more.

So in those cases, the populations are closely packed together and it's much easier to transmit the diseases. When we go back to 50,000 years ago, populations are more scattered and living in smaller numbers. So I think that purely disease is not going to be enough of an explanation in the situation we're in because these populations are small in number and they're spread out more.

Nantos certainly thrived in Gibraltar for tens of thousands of years. And we've got a number of sites where they were living. And I worked at Vanguard Cave and Gorham's Cave there. And of course, we've got DNA from the Forbes Quarry Neanderthal and the Devil's Tower.

Nantos certainly thrived in Gibraltar for tens of thousands of years. And we've got a number of sites where they were living. And I worked at Vanguard Cave and Gorham's Cave there. And of course, we've got DNA from the Forbes Quarry Neanderthal and the Devil's Tower.

Nantos certainly thrived in Gibraltar for tens of thousands of years. And we've got a number of sites where they were living. And I worked at Vanguard Cave and Gorham's Cave there. And of course, we've got DNA from the Forbes Quarry Neanderthal and the Devil's Tower.

So these are all sites in Gibraltar. So Nantos certainly were thriving at times in Gibraltar. It's, of course, a relatively benign environment. While further north, there would have been, you know, much, much worse conditions, much colder conditions, Gibraltar and the whole of the south of Iberia would have been at times a refugium in which Neanderthals could survive.

So these are all sites in Gibraltar. So Nantos certainly were thriving at times in Gibraltar. It's, of course, a relatively benign environment. While further north, there would have been, you know, much, much worse conditions, much colder conditions, Gibraltar and the whole of the south of Iberia would have been at times a refugium in which Neanderthals could survive.

So these are all sites in Gibraltar. So Nantos certainly were thriving at times in Gibraltar. It's, of course, a relatively benign environment. While further north, there would have been, you know, much, much worse conditions, much colder conditions, Gibraltar and the whole of the south of Iberia would have been at times a refugium in which Neanderthals could survive.

And I mentioned the similarity between the DNA of the Forbes quarry Neanderthal from Gibraltar and Thorin's DNA. So there's that connection which we can pick up in Thorin maybe 50,000 years ago between Gibraltar and the Rome Valley.

And I mentioned the similarity between the DNA of the Forbes quarry Neanderthal from Gibraltar and Thorin's DNA. So there's that connection which we can pick up in Thorin maybe 50,000 years ago between Gibraltar and the Rome Valley.

And I mentioned the similarity between the DNA of the Forbes quarry Neanderthal from Gibraltar and Thorin's DNA. So there's that connection which we can pick up in Thorin maybe 50,000 years ago between Gibraltar and the Rome Valley.

But although it's been claimed that Neanderthals survived even down to 30,000 years ago in Gibraltar, and I was actually, my name's on a paper that suggested that 20 years ago, I think the data now show that there's no evidence Neanderthals survived any longer in Gibraltar than they survived anywhere else. And I think they were gone from there by 40,000 years ago.

But although it's been claimed that Neanderthals survived even down to 30,000 years ago in Gibraltar, and I was actually, my name's on a paper that suggested that 20 years ago, I think the data now show that there's no evidence Neanderthals survived any longer in Gibraltar than they survived anywhere else. And I think they were gone from there by 40,000 years ago.

But although it's been claimed that Neanderthals survived even down to 30,000 years ago in Gibraltar, and I was actually, my name's on a paper that suggested that 20 years ago, I think the data now show that there's no evidence Neanderthals survived any longer in Gibraltar than they survived anywhere else. And I think they were gone from there by 40,000 years ago.

And I know it's claimed that, you know, this benign environment in Gibraltar allowed them to survive longer. But of course, that benign environment would have been attractive to Homo sapiens as well. And we know there were Homo sapiens in southern Iberia 42,000 years ago. So I don't know what would have kept them from going to Gibraltar if it was such a nice environment.

And I know it's claimed that, you know, this benign environment in Gibraltar allowed them to survive longer. But of course, that benign environment would have been attractive to Homo sapiens as well. And we know there were Homo sapiens in southern Iberia 42,000 years ago. So I don't know what would have kept them from going to Gibraltar if it was such a nice environment.

And I know it's claimed that, you know, this benign environment in Gibraltar allowed them to survive longer. But of course, that benign environment would have been attractive to Homo sapiens as well. And we know there were Homo sapiens in southern Iberia 42,000 years ago. So I don't know what would have kept them from going to Gibraltar if it was such a nice environment.

So I personally don't think Gibraltar has any evidence to be the last stronghold of Neanderthals. It could have been one of their last strongholds. But equally, I've mentioned that we really don't have data from many areas further east for when the Neanderthals disappeared. So they could have survived longer there, but maybe they survived in pockets further east that we haven't yet discovered.

So I personally don't think Gibraltar has any evidence to be the last stronghold of Neanderthals. It could have been one of their last strongholds. But equally, I've mentioned that we really don't have data from many areas further east for when the Neanderthals disappeared. So they could have survived longer there, but maybe they survived in pockets further east that we haven't yet discovered.

So I personally don't think Gibraltar has any evidence to be the last stronghold of Neanderthals. It could have been one of their last strongholds. But equally, I've mentioned that we really don't have data from many areas further east for when the Neanderthals disappeared. So they could have survived longer there, but maybe they survived in pockets further east that we haven't yet discovered.