Human DNA recovered from remains found in Europe is revealing our species’ shared history with Neanderthals. The trove is the oldest Homo sapiens DNA ever documented, scientists say.

For decades, scientists have been captivated by the enigma of Neanderthals. These ancient relatives of modern humans have long been a subject of intense study and speculation. Now, groundbreaking research led by Joshua Akey,

Research shows a link between Zlatý kůň and Ranis, early European modern humans who retained African traits, lacked Neandertal ancestry.

Surviving Neanderthal genes in the modern genome tell a story of thousands of years of interactions. Recent DNA studies have refined the period when Neanderthals and modern humans interbred to a span of about 7,

Approximately 60,000 years ago, our prehistoric ancestors left Africa and encountered Neanderthals. They maintained various relationships with them for seven thousand years. According to Science, these contacts also involved intimate relationships,

Today, all humans except those with only African heritage bear the marks of this union in their DNA. The study's findings suggest this genetic exchange took place roughly 80 generations before the births of the individuals they tested, and as with previous research the results suggest such encounters likely happened more than once.

Learn how scientists examined DNA to find out the duration of Neanderthal-human interbreeding and track down the Neanderthal genes that humans inherited.

Tens of thousands of years ago, modern humans mated with Neanderthals. But exactly how and when that happened, and who those groups of humans were, was less known. New research adds some clues.

New research reveals that gene flow from Neanderthals has left a lasting imprint on modern human genomes. Non-African populations today inherit approximately 1% to 2% of their genetic material from Neanderthals.