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Neanderthals didn't truly go extinct, but were rather absorbed into the modern human population, DNA study suggests
By Charles Q. Choi published
Modern human DNA may have made up a surprisingly large amount of the Neanderthal genome, a new study finds.

Neanderthals cared for 6-year-old with Down syndrome, fossil find reveals
By Laura Geggel published
The unique shape of an ear bone belonging to a Neanderthal child found in a cave in Spain suggests that she had Down syndrome.

Human ancestor 'Lucy' was hairless, new research suggests. Here's why that matters.
By Stacy Keltner published
Lucy is popularly depicted as being hairy, but new evidence suggests she wasn't. The discovery prompts new questions about the history of nudity.

Neanderthals and humans interbred 47,000 years ago for nearly 7,000 years, research suggests
By Charles Q. Choi published
DNA from prehistoric and modern-day people suggests that humans interbred with Neanderthals 47,000 years ago for a period lasting 6,800 years.

Neanderthals could talk — but how sophisticated was their language?
By Steven Mithen published
Neanderthals could talk, but they likely couldn't use or understand metaphors, which compare two unlike things, research suggests.

Why did Homo sapiens emerge in Africa?
By Katherine Irving published
Our human ancestors arose in Africa due to many factors, including climate.

What's the difference between Neanderthals and Homo sapiens?
By Emily Cooke published
Neanderthals are our closest relatives who went extinct around 40,000 years ago. Here's how they differed to us.

130,000-year-old Neanderthal-carved bear bone is symbolic art, study argues
By Soumya Sagar published
The carved bear bone is one of the earliest human-made artifacts with "symbolic culture" unearthed in Europe.
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