Neanderthals survived on a knife's edge for 350k years

Neanderthals survived across most of Eurasia for roughly 350,000–400,000 years despite genetic risks from small populations.

Inbreeding can concentrate harmful mutations but prolonged inbreeding may also purge some deleterious genes.

Prehistoric humans relied on stone tools, spears, hides, and fire for hundreds of thousands of years before innovations like the bow and arrow and later agriculture.

The bow and arrow likely appeared within the last 100,000 years, and agriculture began about 12,000 years ago, enabling larger populations.