Overview
- Published in Science Advances, the study combines strontium, oxygen, and carbon isotope data with paleoproteomics from four elephant molars at the Last Interglacial lakeshore site in Germany.
- Proteins preserved in tooth enamel enabled sex identification of the individuals as three males and one likely female, marking the first such application to this species in Europe.
- Strontium patterns show some males traveled up to roughly 300 kilometers before reaching Neumark‑Nord, echoing sex‑biased ranging known from modern elephants.
- The authors interpret the dense elephant assemblage and life‑history profiles as evidence for organized, cooperative hunting and large‑scale carcass processing by Neanderthals.
- The team cautions that the sample is small and isotopes alone cannot resolve provenance, with broader sampling and ongoing genetics planned to refine population and site‑use scenarios.