You might think our early Homo sapiens ancestors were too busy fending off saber-tooth cats or inventing fire to worry about dating, but turns out, they were pretty social. In fact, about 50,000 years ago, Homo sapiens and Neanderthals not only crossed paths, but also seemingly interbred. But the big question has always been <em>where</em> this ancient affair took place. Thanks to recent studies, archaeologists believe they may have an answer.<br /><br />A team of archaeologists from multiple universities in Germany, Denmark and <keyword id="19915592" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="iran" source="keywords">Iran</keyword>, used ecological niche modeling and geographic information systems to map out where Homo sapiens and Neanderthals were likely living during the Late Pleistocene. They narrowed it down to the Persian Plateau’s <keyword id="23113135" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="zagros" source="keywords">Zagros</keyword> Mountains — modern-day Iran, Iraq, and southeastern Turkey. With its warm climate, diverse animal life, and strategic location, it would have been an ideal spot for both groups to settle, hunt, and, well.. interact.<br /><br />The interbreeding likely occurred over several thousand years — roughly between 47,000 and 65,000 years ago. These events left a lasting imprint on us, with modern non-African humans carrying about 1-2% <keyword id="149748" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="neanderthal" source="Orion">Neanderthal</keyword> <keyword id="25384" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="dna" source="Orion">DNA</keyword>. It seems the genes that stuck around were helpful, impacting traits like skin color and immune responses, which might have helped our ancestors adapt to new environments.<br />    <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="110805199" title="Humans and Neanderthals only had sex for a brief period, but it still fundamentally changed our DNA" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div><h2>Why was Zagros so happening?</h2>There’s many reasons Zagros was the ideal place for this <keyword id="1252671" type="General" weightage="20" keywordseo="prehistoric" source="Orion">prehistoric</keyword> meet-cute. The region wasn’t just a Neanderthal haven with its varied biodiversity and topology; it was also right on the migration route that Homo sapiens took out of Africa. In other words, it would have been more surprising if the two groups <em>hadn’t</em> run into each other.<br /><br />Archaeological evidence supports this theory. The region is full of both Homo sapiens and Neanderthal skeletons, including the famous Neanderthal “flower burial,” which suggests this area was a significant gathering place for both species. Given the overlap in time and location, it seems highly likely that the two groups not only encountered each other but interbred, leaving a genetic legacy that still affects us today.<br />    <div type="Article" hostid="261" msid="110138496" title="Did infection from human viruses contribute to the demise of Neanderthals 40,000 years ago?" mstype="2" mssubtype="0"></div>So, while we may never know the exact moment of connection (or awkward small talk), we now have a better idea of <em>where</em> it likely happened — and why their shared genes continue to influence us today.<br /><br />The findings of this research have been published in <em>Scientific Reports</em> and can be accessed <a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-024-70206-y">here</a>.<br /><br /><i>Editor's note: The story has been updated briefly after publishing to correct minor grammatical and language errors.</i><br />

Our ancestors bred with Neanderthals 50,000 years ago — here's where scientists think they did it

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5a895438d03072ad198b45fd-2000/zagros.png" alt="Zagros mountain region" data-mce-source="Google Maps" /><p class="source"><span>Google Maps</span></p><p class="caption">66 people died.</p></div><p></p></div></div></p><ul><li><strong>A passenger plane has crashed in Iran killing everybody on board.</strong></li><li><strong>A child is believed to be amongst the dead.</strong></li></ul><hr /><p> </p><p>A passenger plane in Iran crashed midflight killing everybody on board.</p><p>Aseman Airlines said 66 people including one child were killed when the plane came down in the Zagros mountains, near the city of Semirom.</p><p>"After searches in the area, unfortunately we were informed that the plane crashed. Unfortunately, all our dear ones lost their lives in this incident," airline spokesman Mohammad Tabatabai said, <a href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-middle-east-43103192" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to the BBC</a>.</p><p>Flight EP 3704 left Iran capital Tehran for the southwestern city of Yasuj at 8.00 a.m local time on Sunday (4.30 a.m GMT / 11.30 p.m Saturday ET).</p><p>The flight typically takes approximately 100 minutes but the plane disappeared from radar one hour after take off.</p><p>On board were 60 passengers, two security guards, two flight attendants, the pilot and the co-pilot. A child is also amongst the dead.</p><p>Emergency services traveled to the crash site by land after a helicopter was forced to turn back because of bad weather.</p>    <div class="margin-top">        <h3>NOW WATCH: <a href="http://www.businessinsider.com/future-olympics-no-country-wants-to-host-games-2018-2">No one wants to host the Olympics anymore -&#xa0;will they go away?</a></h3>        <div>            <iframe class="bijwplayerclass" data-player="jwplayer" src="https://content.jwplatform.com/players/p34fCU9Q-CEZHWCBG.html" width="100%" height="100%" frameborder="0" scrolling="auto" style="margin:0px;" allowfullscreen=""></iframe><script>function receiveMessage(event){ console.log(event.data.fullscreen); Android.fullscreen(event.data.fullscreen); }window.addEventListener("message", receiveMessage, false);</script>        </div>    </div>

66 people, including 1 child, have been killed in a passenger plane crash in Iran

<p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img style="color: #000000;" src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5aa65ac63be59f1b008b457b-1785/rts1n650.jpg" alt="iran plane crash" data-mce-source="Tasnim News Agency / Reuters" data-mce-caption="A view shows the site of a crashed plane owned by the private holding company of Turkish businessman Huseyin Basaran, Iran, March 12, 2018."><p class="source"><span>Tasnim News Agency / Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">A view shows the site of a crashed plane owned by the private holding company of Turkish businessman Huseyin Basaran.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><ul><li><strong>Mina Basaran was one of 11 people killed in a private jet crash in Iran on Sunday.</strong></li><li><strong>The plane had taken Basaran and seven friends to Dubai for her bachelorette party.</strong></li><li><strong>It was travelling back to Istanbul when it gained altitude then "dropped drastically."</strong></li><li><strong>Basaran was set to marry fiancé Murat Gezer on April 14.</strong></li></ul><hr><p><br>Turkish Instagram star and construction heiress Mina Basaran was one of 11 people killed in a private jet crash in Iran on Sunday.</br></p><p>The Bombardier Challenger 604 jet reportedly crashed in the Zagros Mountains outside of Shahr-e Kord, a city which sits roughly 370 km (230 miles) south of Iranian capital Tehran.</p><p>It killed all 11 people on board, including three crew members, according to Associated Press. Authorities have so far recovered 10 bodies from the crash site.</p><p>The plane was headed to Istanbul from the Dubai after Basaran, a bride-to-be, held her hen party in Dubai along with seven friends. She was due to marry fiancé Murat Gezer on April 14. They are pictured below.</p><p>AP reported that investigators found the black box from the Bombardier CL604 plane, <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/mina-basaran-turkish-bridetobe-and-friends-among-11-killed-in-private-plane-crash-a3787306.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">owned by the private holding company of Mina's millionaire father Huseyin Basaran</a>, on Monday.</p><p>Basaran is the chairman of Basaran Investment Holding. According to the Evening Standard, he owns "several small businesses and a small investment bank," and is involved in construction projects such as series of luxury apartment blocks in Istanbul called "Mina Towers" after his daughter.</p><p>Mina, a socialite who had <a href="https://www.instagram.com/minabasaran/?hl=en" target="_blank" rel="noopener">more than 85,000 followers on Instagram</a>, was <a href="https://www.standard.co.uk/news/world/mina-basaran-turkish-bridetobe-and-friends-among-11-killed-in-private-plane-crash-a3787306.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly on the management board at her father's company</a>, and was next in line to run the business.</p><p>She had posted several photos on her Instagram account, which has now been made private, over the weekend, including an image of herself on the tarmac in front of the plane and another on board holding heart-shaped balloons. Her <a href="https://www.facebook.com/mina.basaran.9?hc_ref=ARQ3NycaHR7eWHoArJNG49xc-GvEoOoLN1udN-7Vh33fFoUk4C40-08GpjUcExE5zwY&amp;fref=nf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Facebook account has been changed into a tribute page.</a></p><h2>The plane "dropped drastically within minutes"</h2><p>According to flight-tracking website FlightRadar24, the aircraft, which took off from Sharjah International Airport on Sunday, rapidly gained altitude a little over an hour into the flight then "dropped drastically within minutes."</p><p>While it is unknown what caused the crash, <a href="https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2018/03/12/bride-to-be-hen-party-killed-private-jet-crashes-return-dubai/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">a witness told Iran state television</a> that the plane was on fire before it hit the mountain.</p><p></p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image on-image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5aa65c0d3be59f23008b457f-2000/rts1n67j.jpg" alt="iran plane crash" data-mce-source="Tasnim News Agency / Reuters"><p class="source"><span>Tasnim News Agency / Reuters</span></p><p class="caption">Medics and rescuers evacuate the body of a victim killed in a private plane crash.</p></img></div><p></p></div></div><p>The black box will hopefully help investigators determine the cause of the crash, as the equipment typically records cockpit conversations and radio transmissions.</p><div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fphoto.php%3Ffbid%3D10151050317908285%26set%3Da.422594793284.201153.500488284%26type%3D3&amp;width=500" width="500" height="500" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true"></iframe></div><div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fphoto.php%3Ffbid%3D1246535135390952%26set%3Da.376447115733096.84772.100001034338413%26type%3D3&amp;width=500" width="500" height="461" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true"></iframe></div><div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fphoto.php%3Ffbid%3D1112185348825932%26set%3Da.376447115733096.84772.100001034338413%26type%3D3&amp;width=500" width="500" height="594" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true"></iframe></div><div><iframe src="https://www.facebook.com/plugins/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fphoto.php%3Ffbid%3D1263222227055576%26set%3Da.376447115733096.84772.100001034338413%26type%3D3&amp;width=500" width="500" height="632" style="border:none;overflow:hidden" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" allowtransparency="true"></iframe></div></hr>

A 28-year-old Turkish construction heiress and Instagram star has died in a plane crash along with her entire bachelorette party

<p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d7bd8062e22af10073d825c-2400/pressreleasefiguuren.png" border="0" alt="greater adria" data-mce-source="Courtesy of Douwe van Hinsbergen" data-mce-caption="A map of where the Greater Adria continent was located 140 million years ago." /></div></div></div></p><ul class="summary-list"><li>Hundreds of millions of years ago, Earth had one giant supercontinent named Pangea.</li><li>Pangea eventually broke up into smaller land masses, which then fragmented further and became our modern-day continents. </li><li>New research shows that an eighth continent slid underneath what is now southern Europe about 120 million years ago, and it's still hidden deep within the Earth.</li><li>Scientists named this lost continent "Greater Adria." Its uppermost regions form mountain ranges across Europe, like the Alps.</li><li><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/?hprecirc-bullet">Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories</a>.</li></ul><p>The map of the world looked very different 240 million years ago.</p><p>Earth's modern-day continents were joined together in one Pac-man-shaped supercontinent known as Pangea, which eventually split into two fragments: Laurasia in the north and Gondwana in the south. The former became Europe, Asia, and North America. The latter dispersed to form modern-day Africa, Antarctica, South America, and Australia. </p><p>But now, scientists have discovered the fate of a fifth continent that was born from Gondwana's bosom, which they named Greater Adria. <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1342937X19302230#!">A study</a> published last week showed that geologic forces slowly shoved the Greenland-sized land mass underneath southern Europe between 120 and 100 million years ago.</p><p>The continent was already half-submerged to start, but as it rumbled toward the Earth's mantle (the rocky inner layer of our planet), its top layer got peeled away, jutting up to become fodder for mountains in what are now 30 European countries.</p><p><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d7f9b5e2e22af168600ebc3-2400/11322194404425a60aaedo.jpg" border="0" alt="Istria" data-mce-source="Flickr/Gigi Griffis" data-link="https://www.flickr.com/photos/resonant/11322194404" /></div></div></div></p><p>Douwe van Hinsbergen, the lead author of the study, compared Greater Adria's subduction to the act of shoving a clothed arm below a table's edge. </p><p>"Suppose you have a sweater on," he told Business Insider. As you push your arm under the table, the sweater sleeve stays behind, getting folded and jutting upward. The folded sleeve is the "equivalent of the upper few kilometers of  Adria's crust, and your arm is the plate that is now sinking in the mantle, hundreds or even thousands of kilometers below our feet," van Hinsbergen said.</p><p>Those "sweater folds" became Eurasian mountain belts like the Apennines in Italy, the Dinarides in Bosnia and Herzegovina, the Swiss Alps, the Zagros mountains of Iran, and the Himalayas.</p><h2>Reconstructing Greater Adria's geologic history</h2><p>In order to piece together Greater Adria's past, van Hinsbergen and his colleagues spent a decade aggregating geological data from countries across Europe, north Africa, and western Asia.</p><p>Naturally occurring magnets in the Earth's crust can help scientists track 240-million-year-old tectonic plate movements. When hot lava cools at the boundary between two shifting plates, it traps rocks containing magnetic minerals that align with the Earth's magnetic fields at the time. The rocks keep that alignment, so scientists can use their orientation to calculate where those magnets were located on the planet millions of years ago.</p><p>The researchers looked at magnetic rocks from 2,300 ancient sites across the Mediterranean region. Then they used that data to create computer simulations of the movements of Earth's tectonic plates before, during, and after Greater Adria's descent into the mantle.  </p><p>The researchers determined that the hidden continent broke off of what is now Africa 220 million years ago, then further splintered away from what became the Iberian peninsula 40 million years later. By about 140 million years ago, van Hinsbergen <a href="https://www.livescience.com/ancient-lost-continent-beneath-europe.html">told Live Science</a>, Greater Adria was likely a string of archipelagos.</p><p>At that time, Adria probably looked like modern-day Zealandia, the mini-continent that underpins New Zealand's north and south islands. Only 7% of Zealandia is above sea-level.</p><p><em><strong>Read More: </strong><a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/zealandia-continent-new-zealand-australia-2017-2">Earth has a brand-new continent called Zealandia, and it's been hiding in plain sight for ages</a></em></p><p><em><div class="KonaFilter image-container display-table"><div><div class="image"><img src="https://static-ssl.businessinsider.com/image/5d7f9b0e2e22af147f2d5476-1985/globeviewgreateradriaeuropefixed.jpg" border="0" alt="Globe_View_Greater_Adria_Europe_Fixed" data-mce-source="Courtesy of Douwe van Hinsbergen" data-mce-caption="A reconstruction of what Earth's landmasses looked like 140 million years ago. The darker green indicates land masses above the water, while the lighter green indicates submerged land." /></div></div></div></em></p><p>Then, between 120 and 100 million years ago, the jostling of Earth's tectonic plates forced Greater Adria down into the mantle, under what is now southern Europe. </p><p>"The deepest portions are now at a 1,500-kilometer (932-mile) depth below Greece," van Hinsbergen said.</p><p>The study authors also discovered that some splinters of Greater Adria didn't subduct under Europe and instead remained above sea level. They eventually became parts of Italy, like Turin and Venice, as well as the Istria region of Croatia.</p><h2>Knowing what the Earth looked like millions of years ago might aid the search for valuable mineral deposits</h2><p>According to van Hinsbergen, reconstructions of our planet's geologic history can help countries and companies looking to <a href="https://www.businessinsider.com/rare-earth-metals-elements-what-they-are-2019-6">mine valuable mineral deposits</a>, since scientists can highlight regional patterns in the way certain magnetic materials are deposited in the Earth's crust.</p><p>"Metals, ceramics, building materials, everything came out of a rock," he said. "You don't find the next gold or copper mine, or the 25 materials you've never even heard of that make your iPhone work, by taking a stroll in the woods."</p><p>Geologic reconstructions could also help researchers better understand how existing mineral and ore deposits - ones we already know about - formed, and where any remaining materials might be buried.</p>

You Searched For "zagros" and got 5 results

Our ancestors bred with Neanderthals 50,000 years ago — here's where scientists think they did it

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66 people, including 1 child, have been killed in a passenger plane crash in Iran

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A 28-year-old Turkish construction heiress and Instagram star has died in a plane crash along with her entire bachelorette party

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A lost 8th continent is hidden nearly 1,000 miles under Europe, new research shows. Scientists named it 'Greater Adria.'

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