Star 1, a Neanderthal bone fragment from Starosele Cave in Crimea, dates to about 40–50,000 years ago and carries mitochondrial DNA that closely matches Neanderthals from the Altai region (~3,000 km away). Researchers used ZooMS screening, radiocarbon dating and mitochondrial sequencing to establish the link. Similar bifacial Micoquian tools and butchered faunal remains at both Crimea and Altai sites, together with paleoclimate models, suggest interglacial corridors enabled long-range Neanderthal movements. The discovery positions Crimea as a potential crossroads within a wide Eurasian dispersal network.
Ancient Neanderthal DNA from Crimea Suggests Huge Eurasian Travel Network
Star 1, a Neanderthal bone fragment from Starosele Cave in Crimea, dates to about 40–50,000 years ago and carries mitochondrial DNA that closely matches Neanderthals from the Altai region (~3,000 km away). Researchers used ZooMS screening, radiocarbon dating and mitochondrial sequencing to establish the link. Similar bifacial Micoquian tools and butchered faunal remains at both Crimea and Altai sites, together with paleoclimate models, suggest interglacial corridors enabled long-range Neanderthal movements. The discovery positions Crimea as a potential crossroads within a wide Eurasian dispersal network.
13:04, 02.11.2025Science
Ancient bone fragment rewrites Neanderthal mobility
A small fragment of bone recovered from the Starosele Cave in the Crimean Mountains is prompting researchers to rethink how far Neanderthal groups traveled. The specimen, dubbed Star 1, dates to roughly 40–50,000 years ago and carries mitochondrial DNA that closely matches Neanderthal remains previously found in the Altai region of Siberia.
From field work to genetic breakthrough
Starosele has produced human remains since the 1950s, but most finds were medieval and did not provide Paleolithic DNA. Excavators recently screened a large assemblage of animal bones and identified the hominin fragment using a minimally destructive protein fingerprinting technique called Zooarchaeology by Mass Spectrometry (ZooMS). The bone—likely part of a humerus or femur—was then radiocarbon dated and yielded a complete mitochondrial genome suitable for comparison.
Surprising genetic links across 3,000 km
Genetic analysis shows the Star 1 mitochondrial sequence is closely related to Neanderthals from Denisova Cave, Chagyrskaya Cave, and Okladnikov Cave in the Altai—sites roughly 1,864 miles (3,000 km) to the northeast. According to the study published in PNAS, this mitochondrial affinity is best explained by long-range movement or gene flow across Eurasia during windows of favorable climate.
“Genetically, Star 1 is closely related to Neanderthals from the Altai via its mitochondrial DNA, suggesting long-range migrations of Neanderthal groups across Eurasia,”
Culture and subsistence tie sites together
Radiocarbon dating places Star 1 in a Crimean Micoquian technological phase, characterized by bifacially thinned and retouched stone tools. The stone tools from Starosele show strong similarities to lithics from Okladnikov and Chagyrskaya. Faunal remains from the same horizon—horse, bison and other steppe species, some bearing clear cut marks—indicate comparable hunting and butchery practices across these regions.
Paleoclimate corridors and seasonal movement
Pigott and colleagues used habitat suitability and paleoclimate models to map corridors that would have been most favorable during interglacial windows when ice sheets retreated. The models, together with archaeological and genetic evidence, support a scenario in which Neanderthal groups used seasonally viable routes that linked distant regions, with some sites functioning as seasonal hunting camps.
Why this matters
The Star 1 discovery strengthens the view that Late Pleistocene Neanderthals maintained wide-ranging connections across Eurasia—linked by genes, shared stone-tool traditions and similar subsistence strategies. If Crimea acted as a crossroads within a broader dispersal network, this finding helps explain how cultural traditions like the Micoquian could spread over large distances.
Conclusion: By recovering usable ancient DNA from a Crimean specimen and tying it to distant Altai individuals, the Star 1 bone adds important evidence for long-distance Neanderthal mobility and regional connectivity during the Late Pleistocene.