'Major disruption in Neanderthal history': 65,000 years ago, all Neanderthals in Europe died out except for one lineage

A view looking from inside a dark cave through an opening where a lush green jungle lies beyond.

Before Neanderthals went extinct, they experienced a major upheaval that resulted in just one of their genetic lineages surviving in Europe and then expanding across the continent, a new study shows.

The findings, published March 23 in the journal PNAS, may shed light on what ultimately doomed the Neanderthals.