Huge volcanic eruption has been blamed for the demise of Neanderthals . Scientists at University of California Berkeley modeled the eruption impact . They found the eruption in Russia cooled Europe 's climate by 2-4 degrees C. However , researchers say there was less cooling where Neanderthals lived . This suggests the eruption did not play a role in the demise of the species . Competition with modern humans was most likely candidate , say scientists .
Huge volcanic eruption has been blamed for the demise of Neanderthals . Scientists at University of California Berkeley modeled the eruption impact . They found the eruption in Italy cooled Europe 's climate by 2-4 degrees C. However , researchers say there was less cooling where Neanderthals lived . This suggests the eruption did not play a role in the demise of the species . Competition with modern humans was most likely candidate , say scientists .