Neanderthals and Early Humans Hung Out Way More Than We Thought, Study Finds

A team’s investigation of ancient human burials in Israel’s Tinshemet Cave has revealed evidence that Homo sapiens and our nearest cousins, the Neanderthals, intermingled in ancient times, sharing moments of daily life and various customs. The team’s research—published today in Nature Human Behavior—investigated stone tools, hunting strategies, and social aspects of the two human groups, and found they were much more intertwined in the area than previously believed. “Neanderthal and Homo sapiens are sister populations,” said Israel Hershkovitz, an anthropologist at Tel Aviv University and co-author of the study, in an email to Gizmodo. “Biologically, they are not different species; Morphologically, they are. The two groups interbreed throughout the Middle Paleolithic.” Neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis) were a group of humans who interbred with anatomically modern humans (Homo sapiens) but looked fairly different, with barrel chests, stocky frames, and pronounced brows. Late last ... Read full article.