Produced by: Manoj Kumar
New research reveals Homo sapiens and Neanderthals interbred 50,500 years ago, sparking an intricate genetic legacy still present in modern humans outside Africa.
Studies in Nature and Science suggest interbreeding spanned 7,000 years, with the oldest common DNA traced to around 43,500 years ago, refining previous estimates.
Despite stark differences—Neanderthals' stocky builds and brow ridges versus modern humans’ leaner frames—early human instincts led to interbreeding.
Today, 1-2% of DNA in non-Africans originates from Neanderthals. Their genes influenced immunity and metabolism, aiding human survival after migration from Africa.
DNA from the skull of Zlatý k, discovered in the Czech Republic, revealed Neanderthal interbreeding occurred earlier than many thought, corroborated by bone fragments from Germany.
Benjamin Peter of MPI-EVA noted the interbreeding was not uniform, with populations mixing and separating over millennia, forming a mosaic of genetic interactions.
Denisovans, another archaic human species, also interbred with Homo sapiens around the same time, contributing significantly to the DNA of Australasians and East Asians.
Artifacts found alongside Denisovan remains suggest these ancient relatives used advanced tools, hinting at shared ingenuity among early human species.
While Neanderthals vanished 40,000 years ago, their extinction remains debated—climate change, interbreeding, and violent clashes with Homo sapiens all potential factors.