Exploring Late Pleistocene hominin dispersals, coexistence and extinction with agent-based multi-factor models

Toward the end of Pleistocene, archaic humans in Eurasia such as Neanderthals and Denisovans were completely replaced by anatomically modern dispersing from Africa. The causes underlying replacement extinction processes remain controversial, especially regarding relative importance random events, anthropogenic environmental factors. Here, we use most comprehensive agent-based modeling framework to date for exploring Late Pleistocene human population dynamics under realistic time-evolving conditions. Model simulations suggest multiple out-of-Africa dispersals. Most these resulted only partial Eurasians long-term coexistence spatially structured populations Eurasia. Moreover, a comparison empirical model data suggests that best-documented process – did not have single overarching cause, but temporally diverse mechanisms, fluctuations, asymmetry resource exploitation efficiency reproductive rates. When viewed isolation, various properties central replacements, their true can be understood with interactions other properties. • Agent-based humans. Failed dispersals are rule rather than exception. Neanderthal driven locally causes.