Humans mated with Neanderthals earlier and more frequently than thought

[Brian G Turner]

http://www.sciencemag.org/news/2016...tals-much-earlier-and-more-frequently-thought

Members of our species had sex with Neandertals much earlier—and more often—than previously believed, according to a new study of ancient DNA. As some of the first bands of modern humans moved out of Africa, they met and mated with Neandertals about 100,000 years ago—perhaps in the fertile Nile Valley, along the coastal hills of the Middle East, or in the once-verdant Arabian Peninsula. This pushes back the earliest encounter between the two groups by tens of thousands of years and suggests that our ancestors were shaped in significant ways by swapping genes with other types of humans.

The funny thing is that anyone who has read Jean Auel may be wondering how much of this can be described as news.

 

[bedlamite]

The dirty beggars.