Final answer:
Two main hypotheses for the extinction of Neanderthals include competition with modern humans—either through violent conflict or resource competition—and their inability to adapt to environmental changes. Genetic research has uncovered limited genetic diversity among Neanderthals, possibly contributing to their vulnerability. Multiple factors may have played a role in their decline and eventual extinction.
Step-by-step explanation:
Extinction Hypotheses of Neanderthals
There are two leading hypotheses surrounding the extinction of the Neanderthals. One theory suggests that modern humans replaced Neanderthals through violent competition or warfare. The second theory speculates that the competition was more about resource acquisition, where modern humans outcompeted Neanderthals with superior tool-making abilities, survival strategies, and reproductive success. The Neanderthals were unable to keep up due to their smaller populations and eventually disappeared.
Genetic research has revealed that Neanderthals were genetically less diverse than Homo sapiens, and this reduced genetic diversity, coupled with low birth rates, could have made them more vulnerable to environmental changes and diseases. Additionally, the changing climate could have weakened Neanderthal populations. Thus, it is possible that a combination of these factors, rather than a single primary cause, led to the Neanderthals' decline in Europe.
No single hypothesis fully explains the Neanderthals' extinction. While some humans today carry Neanderthal DNA, suggesting a degree of interbreeding, this does not negate the fact that Neanderthals as a distinct group went extinct. Ongoing research may provide further insight into the various factors that contributed to their demise.