There's one paper from 2020 suggesting that Neanderthals may have torpor (there's some evidence in bone growth patterns suggesting that they basically just... stopped during winters).
That being said, Homo Sapiens likely could have directly out-competed Neanderthals even without this hypothesis. While Neanderthals almost certainly could overpower Homo Sapiens, we've yet to find any evidence of projectile use amongst Neanderthals, especially bow and arrow. There's also some evidence suggesting that Neanderthals biomechanics/skeletons would have severely restricted their ability to use throwing spears.
The spread of Homo Sapiens tends to coincide with local changes in climate transitioning from forest to grassland environments, which would have further favored the the apparent range advantage that H. Sapiens had.
"we've yet to find any evidence of projectile use amongst Neanderthals, especially bow and arrow"
Interestingly, the same is true about their contemporary Homo sapiens sapiens competitors. There is no evidence of use of bows and arrows in Europe until way after the Neanderthals died out.
> There's one paper from 2020 suggesting that Neanderthals may have torpor (there's some evidence in bone growth patterns suggesting that they basically just... stopped during winters).
Do you have a link for that. It would be fascinating if true and would easily explain how they were out competed to Homo Sapiens.
There is just one warm-blooded Primate, the Lemur, which experiences torpor. So there is precedent within the order taxon.
There are still many uncertainties about how sapiens outcompeted and interbred neanderthals. How hard was it for them to find food in winter? Less food could also explain slowed growth. Why did they not invent spears or bows? Maybe they were accurate enough with stones.
That being said, Homo Sapiens likely could have directly out-competed Neanderthals even without this hypothesis. While Neanderthals almost certainly could overpower Homo Sapiens, we've yet to find any evidence of projectile use amongst Neanderthals, especially bow and arrow. There's also some evidence suggesting that Neanderthals biomechanics/skeletons would have severely restricted their ability to use throwing spears.
The spread of Homo Sapiens tends to coincide with local changes in climate transitioning from forest to grassland environments, which would have further favored the the apparent range advantage that H. Sapiens had.
That's what we've found so far anyways.