Neanderthals

Latest about Neanderthals

A skull is displayed as part of the Neanderthal exhibition at the Musee de l'Homme in Paris on March 26, 2018.

'It haunts all our imaginations': Were Neanderthals really like us?

By Ludovic Slimak published

In this adapted extract from The Naked Neanderthal: A New Understanding of the Human Creature, Ludovic Slimak examines how we should view our ancient relatives, the Neanderthals.

Neanderthals
Human and Neanderthal heads in museum display case.

'Simply did not work': Mating between Neanderthals and modern humans may have been a product of failed alliances, says archaeologist Ludovic Slimak

By Tia Ghose published

"When two populations are close to one another but they are very distinct — maybe they can have a different language and different traditions, they are in neighboring territories — they are going to exchange their women."

Neanderthals
Artistic rendition of two Neanderthals creating cave art.

Did art exist before modern humans? New discoveries raise big questions.

By Tom Metcalfe published

Feature Scientists are finding ever-earlier examples of artistic expression in the archaeological record that reshape what we know about the cognitive abilities of our archaic human relatives, such as Neanderthals.

Feature
Excavation of the LRJ layers 8 meters deep at Ranis.

45,000-year-old bones unearthed in cave are oldest modern-human remains in Central Europe

By Charles Q. Choi published

The finding suggests that 'successive pulses of small groups' of humans replaced Neanderthals in Europe starting around 45,000 years ago.

Neanderthals
A photo of Sigourney Weaver in the movie alien, pictured in a white gown inside a pod-like chamber with a clear lid

Our 10 most-read health stories of 2023

By Nicoletta Lanese published

Live Science's most-read health stories from 2023 feature Neanderthal DNA, harrowing medical case reports and curious new research findings.

Neanderthals
Hominin skull shape animation gif.

When did Homo sapiens first appear?

By Kristina Killgrove published

What's the oldest fossil evidence humans have for our species?

Neanderthals
Side-by-side facial approximations of a Neanderthal.

Weathered face of 'old man' Neanderthal comes to life in amazing new facial reconstruction

By Jennifer Nalewicki published

A new facial reconstruction depicts a Neanderthal whose skeleton was found by priests in a French cave.

Neanderthals
A side-by-side comparison of a Neanderthal and human skull

Humans and Neanderthals mated 250,000 years ago, much earlier than thought

By Emily Cooke published

A comparison of the genomes of a Neanderthal who lived 120,000 years ago in Siberia with those from modern humans in sub-Saharan Africa has revealed insight into the migratory and interbreeding history of both species.

Neanderthals
The burial of a 25-30 year old woman from St. Germain-le-Ridiere, France. The skull has red ochre markings, suggesting a ritual burial.

When did humans start burying their dead?

By Patrick Pester published

Ancient caves mark the beginning of recorded burial rituals, but there's still so much we don't know about the history of human graves.

Neanderthals
The Neanderthal woman was re-created and built by Dutch artists Andrie and Alfons Kennis. They used replicas of a pelvis and cranial anatomy from Neanderthal females for authenticity. The Neanderthal woman is shown here in comparison to a modern female.

Scientists finally solve mystery of why Europeans have less Neanderthal DNA than East Asians

By Stephanie Pappas published

Modern Europeans have a smaller proportion of Neanderthal genes in their genomes than East Asians do. New research suggests the reason lies at the feet of migrating early farmers.

Neanderthals
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