Some here probably know that one of my children is a neuroscientist. Currently studying and writing about the evolution of the neanderthal brain.

Naturally I asked what happened to them.

I was told there were fewer around, and, slowly, they were subsumed into the HS genepool. The why is a guess, but it's a rapidly advancing field.

So, it's entirely possible that new revelations are just around the corner.

But, for now, the working hypothesis is just that they were diluted out.

Out there doing it best I can.