What Really Killed the Neanderthals?

For 300,000 years, Neanderthals survived ice ages, giant predators, and brutal winters — then vanished in under 5,000 years. New 2026 DNA research finally reveals what actually wiped them out, and it's not what you were taught in school. This video breaks down the real science behind the Neanderthal extinction — from Shanidar Cave in Iraq, to the 2026 Max Planck Institute genome study that disproved the inbreeding theory, to the population collapse between 45,000–42,000 years ago, to the network-collapse theory that finally connects it all. Topics covered: • Who the Neanderthals really were • The inbreeding theory — and why 2026 research overturned it • The Sesselfelsgrotte fetus DNA discovery • Ariane Burke's 2026 species distribution model • Why social network size — not intelligence — decided who survived #Neanderthals #HumanEvolution #AncientHistory #Anthropology #Extinction Tags (comma-separated, paste directly into the tags box) neanderthal extinction, what killed the neanderthals, neanderthal DNA, human evolution, ancient history documentary, prehistoric humans, homo sapiens vs neanderthals, ice age humans, paleoanthropology, neanderthal genome 2026, human origins, ancient human survival, Shanidar cave, Max Planck Institute neanderthal study, why did neanderthals go extinct, evolution documentary, existential science channel, ancient humans, caveman history, human ancestors Hashtags #Neanderthals #HumanEvolution #AncientHistory #Anthropology #Science Rough chapter markers (adjust timestamps once the final edit length is locked) Hook — the Belgian cave, 45,000 years ago Disruption — they should have outlasted us Shanidar 1 and the inbreeding theory 2026 Max Planck genome study overturns it The Sesselfelsgrotte fetus and the population crash Ariane Burke's 2026 network-collapse model Close — Dunbar's number and why you're still here