A new study suggests that Neanderthals may have survived in a small, isolated population in the Crimean Peninsula until as recently as 40,000 years ago.

The study, published in the journal Quaternary Science Reviews, is based on evidence from a site called Buran-Kaya III in the Crimea. The site contains the remains of several Neanderthals, as well as stone tools and other artifacts that suggest that the Neanderthals were living there for a long period of time.

The researchers believe that the Neanderthals at Buran-Kaya III may have been part of a larger population that once lived in Eastern Europe. However, they were likely cut off from the rest of their population by the advance of ice sheets during the last ice age.

The Neanderthals at Buran-Kaya III may have survived for so long because they were able to adapt to the cold climate and the limited resources available to them. They may have also interbred with the early modern humans who were beginning to move into the region at that time.

The study provides new evidence for the diversity of Neanderthal populations and the complexity of their interactions with early modern humans. It also suggests that Neanderthals may have survived for longer than previously thought.