The Last Neanderthal

Understanding How Humans Die

By: Ludovic Slimak, Andrew Brown (Translator)

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Hardcover | 12 December 2025

At a Glance

Hardcover
224 Pages

Dimensions(cm)
23.5 x 16.0 x 2.3

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It’s August 2015. After twenty-five years of archaeological research in a secluded cave overlooking the Rhone Valley in southern France, Ludovic Slimak uncovers the remains of a Neanderthal, frozen in time – a discovery that casts fresh light on a critical turning point in human history. Could these remains belong to one of the last Neanderthals? As scientists from around the world analyze the site, their findings disrupt everything we thought we knew about the final days of these ancient humans. This discovery takes us to the defining threshold when multiple human species, once coexisting in the same world, are wiped from history—leaving Homo sapiens as the sole human survivor.

Slimak takes the reader on an extraordinary journey of discovery that is both scientific and profoundly human, blending rigorous research with evocative storytelling. This breathtaking exploration of the past not only unearths the lost world of the Neanderthals but forces us to confront the unspoken question: is this how humanity dies?

A compelling narrative spanning millennia, The Last Neanderthal is both a groundbreaking scientific revelation and a profound reflection on the fragility of humanity and the threads that connect us to the distant past.

About the Author

Ludovic Slimak is a paleoanthropologist at the University of Toulouse and Director of the Grotte Mandrin research project. His work focuses on the last Neanderthal societies and he is the author of several hundred scientific studies on these populations. His research has been featured in Nature, Science, Cell, The New York Times, the Guardian and elsewhere.

Industry Reviews

"A poetic scientist is a rare bird - don't miss this."
Desmond Morris, author of The Naked Ape

"What a book! A sparkling detective story, a bonfire of tired paradigms, and a dramatic interrogation of that crucial question: what sort of creatures are we?"
Charles Foster, author of The Edges of the World

"Immersing yourself in the world of these lost people in The Last Neanderthal is a rare treat."
New Scientist

"A major finding"
Kirkus Reviews

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