By now, it’s firmly established that modern humans and their Neanderthal relatives met and mated as our ancestors expanded out of Africa, resulting in a substantial amount of Neanderthal DNA scattered throughout our genome. Less widely recognized is that some of the Neanderthal genomes we’ve seen have pieces of modern human DNA as well.

On the slopes of Mount Carmel in northern Israel, a small skull has changed the story of human history. Buried in Skhul Cave roughly 140,000 years ago, the remains of a five-year-old child show that Neanderthals and Homo sapiens were far more intertwined ...

Homo sapiens and Neanderthals were probably interbreeding over a huge area stretching from western Europe into Asia. It was thought that this probably happened in the eastern Mediterranean region, but the location is hard to pin down. To investigate ...

Benjamin holds a Master's degree in anthropology from University College London and has previously worked in the fields of psychedelic neuroscience and mental health. Benjamin holds a Master's degree in anthropology from University College London and has ...

A gene called ADSL, which helps synthesize DNA, differs between modern humans and our extinct human relatives. The findings could shed light on why Neanderthals vanished. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.