Climatic conditions from the northwestern European margins indicate that warmer summer conditions after the last cold glacial period existed there around 15,200 years ago. The presence of prey species in this landscape, combined with warmer summer conditions, presented an environment that supported the reoccupation of these northern marginal latitudes by Late Upper Palaeolithic humans.
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References
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This is a summary of: Matthews, I. P. et al. Summer warmth between 15,500 and 15,000 years ago enabled human repopulation of the northwest European margin. Nat. Ecol. Evol. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-025-02712-9 (2025).
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Palaeolithic people returned north earlier than expected. Nat Ecol Evol 9, 1096–1097 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-025-02722-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-025-02722-7
