A Super Volcano Killed the Neanderthals | Full Science Documentary - Part 2

Could a super volcano have been responsible for the demise of the Neanderthals? Then, a surprising look at the human genome at the University of Washington reveals that Neanderthal DNA may be living on in modern humans. Discover everything about the Neanderthal Apocalypse in Part 2 of this History Documentary!

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[get.factual]

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[kristinarnesen]

If storing fat is a neanderthal tray, I'm probably 99 % neanderthal 😅

[avivapadrutt]

I always loved the books of Mrs Jean M Auel. In her saga many things were described, even before the evidence was found. I highly can recommend it for anyone, who is interested in how are ancestors lived. Thank you for the great documentory.

[craigkdillon]

I suspect that the Neanderthal did NOT go extinct in the normal meaning of that word.
I think they may have suffered a population collapse for any number of reasons.
After which, they did NOT die off -- they were assimilated into the modern human population.
That would also explain the fairly high percentage of Neanderthal genome in our DNA.

[TheTir]

We didn’t go extinct, we married up and melted into society. Red hair is a beautiful gene!! 😎

[mcchuggernaut]

This is why I worry about a huge volcanic eruption more than any other potential danger to mankind. Enough ash in the air could halt global food production, and just one failed growing season could wipe out society due to mass starvation. We already have food production problems, can you imagine a world-wide food production halt? All of us are dependent on farming. Most of us produce no food and are entirely dependent on a small number of farmers. Civilization would collapse overnight. Very few of us would survive, and it would be like going back to the stone age. I don't want to live through that. 90% of us would just starve to death.

[Onora]

23&Me claims I have an abnormally high amount of neanderthal DNA (like 80% higher than the average 23&Me user) and assuming the test is correct, I'm totally proud to be their descendant now. XD

[RichardASalisbury]

This episode and its predecessor are one of the best documentaries I've seen anywhere: informative, convincing, and moving. To me the Neanderthal have seemed for a long time be little if at all inferior to us, our sadly lost brothers and sisters. Thank you so much!

[catw]

WoW. This was one of the best documentaries I've ever seen. Absolutely fascinating. Great voice over artist too (so important). I took a geology class over the Summer semester and am just blown away by the entire field. It's amazing what geologists can piece together. So much respect for these scientists. To learn about the actual history of the Neanderthals was incredible, answered a lot of questions for me. Thank you!!

[unicornbunny]

Who said the Neanderthals are extinct? The Europeans are the Neanderthals.

[budawang]

Much better than expected. Despite the overly dramatic music it was full of great information. Well done.

[kelliepatrick]

While visiting Yellowstone National Park in the 70's when I was in my early teens, I remember very clearly arguing with a Park Ranger that the entire area was a huge volcano caldera (It was not publicly known at that time that it was a super-volcano). Either the Park Ranger didn't know, or he didn't want me starting a panic, lol.

[CwL-]

if some modern folks have neanderthal DNA doesn't that mean that the neanderthal lives on?

[kurtfranklin]

I had a look on GEDmatch which tells me my DNA was matched with two ancient Neanderthals in Vindija cave in Croatia dated at 38 and 40 thousand years ago (33.16 and 33.25) which gives me a very real connection to their extinction. I don't have a lot of their DNA but I note that as a small framed female I've always been naturally stronger than most people my age and like your description of Neanderthals I do poorly in warm weather and am very adaptable in any situation. I also have a lot of other ancient DNA - I love archaeogenetics.
add on: I know what I know by reading or watching video research conducted by professionals, not by guessing and listening to others who don't know anything at all about DNA on a professional level.

[sheldonwheaton]

Those archeologists must have gotten a rush when they realized what they had in that cave!

[chrisbassett]

it is incredible that the earth can be wiped clean and yet we are still here. the scary part is that it could happen again.

[bvalt]

It actually does explain what happened to the western populations, less resources, and global volcanic winter also impacted their populations. They estimate it as less than 20, 000 survived, 30% of their genome now exists in modern humans, so they interbred, and assimilated into human culture, and genetically passed on 30%+ of their genome to us humans, same with the Denisovans, who lived further east near the Himalayas. This is why Sherpa's don't need oxygen to climb Mt. Everest. A higher mammal species which has been separated for less than 1 million years, is actually still the same species, they can and do interbreed on the boderlands of their respective territories, this is why dogs and wolves, and coyotes, and dingos, and African wild dogs can all still interbreed, and still have viable offspring that aren't sterile and can reproduce. They are less than 1 million years removed from their common ancestors therefore they are in fact the same species, as we were with Neanderthals. Like a Mexican Hairless, and an English Mastif are the same species, just widely varied versions of it.

[roonilwazlib]

Improvise, adapt and overcome... they’re not wiped out, they’re in our genes 🧬

[intricatic]

As a Neanderthal myself, I'm terribly mortified at the suggestion that a supervolcano could extirpate us.

[lyeugye]

What irritates me unimaginably in European and especially American documentaries is the constant repetition of what was said a while ago. Why [in a 50 minutes film] do I have to hear five and six times or more that "a skull was found in the cave and…"? Wouldn't it be better to have a continuous flow of information?