Neanderthal DNA discovery

DNA from a Romanian who lived in a prehistoric “dark age”, when early modern humans and Neanderthals were neighbours, is strong evidence that the two groups interbred in Europe.

It had been thought that early humans leaving Africa mixed with Neanderthals in the Middle East 50,000 to 60,000 years ago, before migrating to Europe and Asia.

The new evidence shows that early-modern humans, and their sub-species cousins, interbred more recently, during the 5,000 years they co-existed in Eurasia, before Neanderthals became extinct.