Neanderthals interbred with modern humans 47,000 years ago, passing down DNA that still exists in many modern-day people, according to two new studies.Neanderthals
interbred with modern humans 47,000 years ago, passing down DNA that
still exists in many modern-day people, according to two new studies.
A pair of new studies sheds light on a pivotal but mysterious chapter of the human origin story, revealing that modern humans and Neanderthals had babies together for an extended period, peaking 47,000 years ago — leaving genetic fingerprints in modern-day people.
Scientists have long known that Neanderthals and humans had offspring and that among them were our ancestors. Today, people from around the world who are descended from the group of humans that left Africa and successfully settled Eurasia still contain a vestige of Neanderthal DNA in their genomes.
But the timing and specifics of these interspecies pairings have been debated. The new results, published Thursday in the journals Science and Nature, don’t upend our understanding of this period but enrich it with complexities and details.