For decades, scientists have studied the decline and eventual disappearance of Neanderthals, our closest extinct relatives. A recent study published in Scientific Reports offers a unique perspective, focusing on the genetic makeup of their red blood cells. The research suggests that a rare blood group found in Neanderthals, linked to potential fatal complications in newborns, might have contributed to their downfall.
Incompatibility between a mother’s and fetus’s blood types, like Rh incompatibility, can have serious consequences. This occurs when an Rh-negative mother carries an Rh-positive fetus. While potentially life-threatening for the baby, this phenomenon might have also played a role in the decline of Neanderthals, highlighting the impact of blood type differences beyond modern human populations
