Did UV Rays Doom Neanderthals?

A key to humans’ survival might have been sunscreen, tailored clothing

Excerpt: "What happened to the Neanderthals?  Our ancestral cousins went mysteriously extinct around 40,000 years ago, while humans did not.

The demise of one and survival of the other continues to flummox paleoanthropologists—but some researchers now think sunscreen and tailored clothing might have played a role.

Around the time Neanderthals bit the dust, a weakening of the Earth’s magnetic field resulted in exposure to higher doses of harmful ultraviolet radiation.

Clothing would have offered some protection. Both groups wore animal skins, but evidence suggests Neanderthals tended to wear loosefitting cloaks, while Homo sapiens sewed form-fitting garments. Humans also coated themselves with mineral pigments, which would have functioned as an ancient SPF.

It is unlikely that these differences in behavior alone would have resulted in the Neanderthals’ demise, but researchers think that their exposure to increased radiation would have had detrimental effects.

The increased exposure occurred when Earth’s north and south magnetic poles began to wander from their traditional positions.

The rotation of the planet and its molten core help generate a protective magnetic field that keeps our planet’s ozone layer robust and protects us from high-energy particles that constantly flow from the sun. The field is anchored at the poles, where magnetic forces are most concentrated. But small changes in the core can cause the poles to wander.  

During the twilight of the Neanderthals, such a wandering caused the magnetic field to drop to about 10% of its average strength.

Scientists call this the Laschamps event. "