Editing Neanderthal extinction (section)

===Interbreeding===
At the time of the last Neanderthals, approximately 45 to 40 thousand years ago, genetic analysis suggests that there was a gene flow from Neanderthals to modern humans of around 10%, but almost no flow from modern humans to Neanderthals. This may be an artifact due to the small number of late Neanderthal genomes, or because hybrids were not viable in Neanderthal groups, or because fertile Neanderthals were being absorbed into modern human groups but not vice versa. If the effect was real over an extended period, it would have increased the size of the modern human gene pool and reduced that of the already sparse Neanderthals, contributing to reduce their numbers below a viable population and thus to their extinction.<ref>{{cite journal| last= Li|first=Liming |display-authors=etal| journal=Science |title=Recurrent gene flow between Neanderthals and modern humans over the past 200,000 years|volume=185 |number=158  |url=https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adi1768  |date=12 July 2024 |page=8 |doi=10.1126/science.adi1768 |bibcode=2024Sci...385i1768L |issn= |url-access=subscription }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal| last1= Stringer|first1=Chris |last2=Crete |first2=Lucia| journal=PaleoAnthropology |title=Mapping Interactions of Homo neanderthalis and Homo sapiens From the Fossil and Genetic Records|volume= |number= 2 |date=2022 |page=407 |issn=1545-0031 }}</ref>