Some Neanderthal DNA Passed To Humans Say Genome Researchers

By analyzing DNA they extracted from three Neanderthal bones over 40,000 years old discovered in a cave in Croatia, scientists from Europe and the US have revealed in intricate detail how humans are related to this long-extinct relative of ours.

You can read about the work behind the finding that between 1 and 4 per cent of the DNA of non-African humans came from Neanderthals in the 7 May issue of Science.

Neanderthals are the closest evolutionary relatives of modern day humans. They lived in large parts of Europe and western Asia before they became extinct about 30,000 years ago, although the reason for that is unclear.

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