A fossilized Neanderthal discovered in a cave system in the Rhône Valley, France, represents an ancient and previously undescribed lineage that diverged from other currently known Neanderthals around 100,000 years ago and remained genetically isolated for more than 50,000 years. Genomic analysis indicates that the Neanderthal, nicknamed “Thorin” in reference to the Tolkien character, lived between 42,000–50,000 years ago in a small, isolated community. The discovery, published in the Cell Press journal Cell Genomics, could shed light on the still-enigmatic reasons for the species’ extinction and suggests that late Neanderthals had more population structure than previously thought. “Until now, the story has been that at the time of the extinction there was just one Neanderthal population that was genetically homogeneous, but now we know that there were at least two populations present at that time,” says first author and population geneticist Tharsika Vimala of the University of Copenhagen. Top Ten Myths about Neanderthals Neanderthals and Humans Were at War… For 100,000 Years! Read moreSection: NewsEvolution & Human OriginsRead Later