From Newsgroup: talk.origins

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-24460-3#MOESM1

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/04/260411022044.htm

The paper has the sequence data results in suplementary materials, so
they positively identified the victims as being Neanderthal and
determined the sex of some of the victims. It is a weird case because isotopic analysis indicates that the victims came from outside of the
region in Belgium where they were processed and eaten. They either
migrated into the area or were brought back to the settlement to be
eaten. Modern Humans may have been making forays into Europe, but my
guess is that they think that Neanderthals ate these individuals due to fossils found at nearby sites and likely stone tools that were in use.

The interesting thing about the victims is that they seem to be some
type of racial variant of Neanderthal. They are described as gracile individuals of short stature. Sort of like Neanderthal pygmies. They
came from somewhere else and were not like the Neanderthal inhabitants
of the location where they met their demise. At this time the location
in Belgium was further from the ocean. Europe was connected to the UK
at this time, but most of the UK was likely covered by the large ice
sheet. It was likely a pretty difficult region to live in and the ice
was still progressing, the glacial maximum was still over 16,000 years
in the future.

If I had to guess I would expect these shorter Neanderthals to have
adapted to life around the sea ice. They may have evolved to be more
similar to Inuits among Modern Humans, and would explain the isotopic differences of their bones.

Ron Okimoto

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From Newsgroup: talk.origins

On 2026/04/13 3:38 PM, RonO wrote:

https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-025-24460-3#MOESM1

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2026/04/260411022044.htm

The paper has the sequence data results in suplementary materials, so they positively identified the victims as being Neanderthal and determined the sex of some of the victims.-a It is a weird case because isotopic analysis indicates that the victims came from outside of the region in Belgium where they were processed and eaten.-a They either migrated into the area or were brought back to the settlement to be eaten.-a Modern Humans may have been making forays into Europe, but my guess is that they think that Neanderthals ate these individuals due to fossils found at nearby sites and likely stone tools that were in use.

The interesting thing about the victims is that they seem to be some type of racial variant of Neanderthal.-a They are described as gracile individuals of short stature.-a Sort of like Neanderthal pygmies.-a They came from somewhere else and were not like the Neanderthal inhabitants of the location where they met their demise. At this time the location in Belgium was further from the ocean.-a Europe was connected to the UK at this time, but most of the UK was likely covered by the large ice sheet.-a It was likely a pretty difficult region to live in and the ice was still progressing, the glacial maximum was still over 16,000 years in the future.

If I had to guess I would expect these shorter Neanderthals to have adapted to life around the sea ice.-a They may have evolved to be more similar to Inuits among Modern Humans, and would explain the isotopic differences of their bones.

A friend of mine wrote a popular fiction novel with the "antagonists" being autistic Neanderthal cannibals. It's funny, in a way, but also (I assume) paid very well. In the book's appendix there are sources cited for what he based the novel on. Apparently it has been a contention among paleontologists, anthropologists (and others) that some Neanderthals ate humans when no one else was available.

Ron Okimoto

--
ShyDavid

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