The implication of those long segments was direct and powerful: Zlatý kůň had lived closer in time to the Neanderthal admixture event than the Bacho Kiro individuals had.

Her genome showed fewer generations of recombination.

Translating the segment lengths into generation counts and then into years, the Prüfer team estimated that Zlatý kůň’s Neanderthal admixture had occurred roughly 200 to 250 generations before her lifetime — and that she herself had lived approximately 45,000 years ago.

This calculation incorporated multiple sources of evidence and cross-checks.

The segment-length analysis was combined with analysis of the overall genomic composition — which ancient populations Zlatý kůň’s ancestry most closely matched, and how those comparisons related to the known timeline of human population history.

The radiocarbon record was also considered, though the stratigraphic challenges meant it was treated with appropriate caution.