Insufficient foraging could also have lowered their energy, leading to a lower birth rate, and increasingly small communities which were eventually unsustainable. 
 
 In contrast, modern humans appeared to have invented toasty garments to keep out the Ice Age chill. Figurines discovered in Siberia dating back 24,000 years are thought to show early humans wearing Parka-type coasts with large fur hoods. 
 
 “I think this is a really interesting bit of work," said Professor Chris Stringer, research leader in human origins at the Natural History Museum in London. 
 
 “If you look at the skeletons the Cro-Magnons from 30,000 years ago, they had physiques like they had just walked out of north east Africa. To achieve that they must have had well-fitting clothes to keep warm in colder climates and the technology to make them. 
 
 “It’s not going to be the whole story about how humans replaced Neanderthals but their ability to keep warm could have certainly given them the edge. Keeping children warm particularly is likely to have led to many more surviving childhood which would have improved population size.” 
 
 The researchers suggest that Neanderthals may not have been intelligent enough to produce cold weather clothing, or did not have the necessary cultural traditions. 
 
 “There is general agreement that as early modern humans moved into glacial Europe they would have adopted highly insulative specialised cold weather clothing, involving multiple fitted garments made from well-tanned pliable hides,” conclude the authors in a paper published in the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology. 
 
 “There is reason to believe that the difference in clothing helped early modern human successfully compete with Neanderthals for territory and resources.” 

 Comparison of Modern Human and Neanderthal skulls from the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. Credit: DrMikeBaxter/Wikipedia (Phys.org)—A quartet of researchers at Simon Fraser University in Canada has found evidence that suggests that the reason early humans were able to survive the ice age while the Neanderthal perished is because humans figured out how to make parka-like clothing to keep warm and Neanderthals did not. In a paper published in Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, Mark Collard, Lia Tarle, Dennis Sandgathe and Alexander Allan describe their study of camp site evidence from both groups and offer some ideas on why just one group was able to survive. 
 
 As scientists continue to explore why humans managed to survive to the modern age while other hominids did not, new evidence has emerged that suggests at least one of them: Neanderthals might have perished because they were not able to sufficiently warm themselves using animal fur. 
 
 The study consisted of analyzing data describing campsites used by early humans and Neanderthals and then comparing the two to find similarities or differences. One major difference they noted was the lack of the type of animal remains around Neanderthal sites that would have suggested they were used to make warm clothes. In sharp contrast, the researchers found multiple examples of animals such as fox, rabbit, or mink—and particularly Wolverine—remains around 56 early human campfires, all of which could have been skinned to allow for use in creating a fur coat or parka. The finding of Wolverine remains was of particular note because it is the same animal that people living in the Arctic in modern times turn to keep warm because it works so well as a liner and fringe around the hood. 
 
 Reconstruction of Neanderthal man. Credit: public domain 
 
 The researchers also note that other evidence of humans crafting warm clothes has been found as well, such as bone needles for sewing and other tools that could be used to scrape pelts. Also, a set of figurines wearing parka-like coats and dating back approximately 24,000 years was found in Siberia. No such evidence of Neanderthals wearing crafted clothes has ever been found. 
 
 As to why the Neanderthals would not have crafted clothes to survive the cold, the researchers suggest they may have lacked the intelligence or simply because their cultural traditions were standing in the way. 
 
 Explore further: Analysis of bones found in Romania offer evidence of human and Neanderthal interbreeding in Europe 
 
 More information: Faunal evidence for a difference in clothing use between Neanderthals and early modern humans in Europe, Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, In Press, DOI: 10.1016/j.jaa.2016.07.010 , http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0278416516300757 
 

– Justifying concerned mothers everywhere, a group of researchers believes Neanderthals could have survived the Ice Age if they'd just worn a dang jacket. According to a study published Wednesday in the Journal of Anthropological Archaeology, dozens of ancient campsites—both human and Neanderthal—contain little evidence that Neanderthals ever figured out how to make cold-weather clothing. Humans on the other hand—well, we're still here. Remains of rabbits, foxes, minks, and wolverines were found at human campsites, Phys.org reports. Of those, wolverine is the most important. It's still used to make warm clothing by people living in the Arctic. However, no wolverine remains were found in Neanderthal camps, notes the Telegraph. Other evidence for humans unlocking the power of prehistoric North Face includes bone needles and ancient figurines that appear to be wearing furs. Meanwhile, researchers conclude Neanderthals never made it further than wearing capes, whether because they weren't smart enough or their culture stopped them from doing so. Without good cold-weather clothing, Neanderthals couldn't hunt further north, lie in wait for their prey, or spend long amounts of time away from shelter. A professor at the Natural History Museum in London calls the study "a really interesting bit of work." (Those jacket-wearing humans may have also given Neanderthals herpes.)