ABSTRACT
Why did the stronger Neanderthals die out, and the weaker Homo sapiens prevail? As the ice age pushed the Neanderthals’ prey out of their home territory, they were forced to change their food preferences. This had happened before, and they’d been able to adapt. But this time they had neighbors who were in direct competition for resources. The uneasy balance that had lasted for 10,000 years gave way, and the Neanderthals were forced to retreat, eventually
to the Iberian Peninsula, where they died out. Homo sapiens had the gift of innovation, and that proved decisive.
(Bouton, 2011)