Making sense of science

The adventurers behind the lost Neanderthal

11.08.2024, by
After more than nine years of research at the Grotte Mandrin site in the Drôme, the archaeologist Ludovic Slimak and his team have confirmed that they have unearthed the remains of a Neanderthal, nicknamed Thorin. According to their study published in the journal Cell Genomics, Thorin lived a little over 40,000 years ago, and was in fact one of the last representatives of an older lineage. A look back at images from this discovery.

Reference "Long genetic and social isolation in Neanderthals before their extinction(link is external)", L. Slimak et al., Vol. 4, Issue 9, 100593, September 11, 2024.
Further viewing Thorin, the last Neanderthal (in French) (link is external),” 54 minute documentary directed by Pascal Cuissot (Ludovic Slimak scientific advisor), Arte TV, available until 11 December 2024.
 

the Valley © Hubert Raguet / CAGT / CNRS Images
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Ludovic Slimak en 2017 © Hubert Raguet / CAGT / CNRS Images
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excavation site © Ludovic Slimak
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teeth © Hubert Raguet / CAGT / CNRS Images – © Ludovic Slimak
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teeth and phalanx © Xavier Muth / Ludovic Slimak ; © Hubert Raguet / CAGT / CNRS Images
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photogrammetry © Hubert Raguet / CAGT / CNRS Images
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3D © Xavier Muth / Ludovic Slimak
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dentition © Hubert Raguet / CAGT / CNRS Images ; © Clément Zanolli
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© Arte France / Fred Hilgemann Films - 2024 / in « Thorin, le dernier Néandertalien », by Pascal Cuissot
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Traceology © Hubert Raguet / CAGT / CNRS Images
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© Arte France / Fred Hilgemann Films - 2024 / in « Thorin, le dernier Néandertalien », by Pascal Cuissot
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