DNA from Neanderthals has small, but detectable effects on humans today, stemming from an ancient period where humans and Neanderthals interbred, a genetics expert told DailyMail.com.

It’s believed that modern humans who spread out of Africa and into Asia around 60,000 years ago interbred with Neanderthals – and that Neanderthal DNA spread with them across the world.

Speaking to DailyMail.com, genetic engineer Sebnem Unluisler says that Neanderthal genes affect everything from hair to nicotine addiction in modern people.

Do YOU have Neanderthal traits? (Getty)

You smoke

One specific part of Neanderthal DNA significantly increases a person’s risk of nicotine addiction – which is ironic given that Neanderthals were in Europe 40 millennia before tobacco first arrived.

Vanderbilt researchers say that these DNA sequences may have provided Neanderthals with adaptive advantages as Neanderthals moved into new environments – but now have negative consequences, including affecting the likelihood of nicotine addiction.

The researchers also found that a number of Neanderthal DNA variants are linked to depression, psychiatric and neurological effects.

Unluisler said: ‘Studies suggest a link between Neanderthal DNA and nicotine addiction risk. Individuals with Neanderthal ancestry may have a slightly increased likelihood of nicotine dependence.’

Do YOU have Neanderthal traits? (Getty)

You have thick, straight hair

Neanderthal DNA has effects on modern people’s hair – in particular, people with thick, straight hair might have Neanderthal DNA.

Unluisler said: ‘Neanderthal DNA has been linked to variations in hair characteristics.

‘Some people with Neanderthal ancestry may have slightly thicker or straighter hair.

You are an early riser

Genes handed down from ancient people including Neanderthals may dictate how good you are at getting up in the mornings.

Research suggests that genes related to the body’s circadian rhythm, which governs when we wake and sleep, come from Neanderthals.

Researchers at Vanderbilt University found that 16 variants associated with early rising in modern humans were found in genomes from a 120,000-year-old Neanderthal and a 52,000-year-old Neanderthal.

Some of these are so-called ‘clock genes’ associated with the Circadian rhythm – which may have helped early people get up earlier as they moved into areas with greater variation in the length of day.

Unluisler says, ‘Neanderthal DNA may influence circadian rhythms and sleep patterns. This may have been influenced by epigenetic factors such as climate, social dynamics and light exposure. People with Neanderthal ancestry may experience variations in their sleep-wake cycles.’

You have a big nose

‘Tall’ noses from top to bottom can be inherited from Neanderthal genetic material, a study by University College London found.

The researchers used volunteers from across Latin America, and compared genetic information to photos of their faces.

The research found that one genome region – ATF3 – had genetic material that was inherited from Neanderthals, and which may have been the product of natural selection as ancient humans adapted to colder climates after leaving Africa.

The researchers believe that longer noses may have helped Neanderthals adapt to the colder air outside Africa.

You suffer badly when you get COVID-19

During the early months of the pandemic, a study found that a chromosome region inherited from Neanderthals made people more susceptible to COVID-19.

People with the Neanderthal-inherited region were more likely to suffer severe cases of COVID-19 including lung issues.

Further research by Tartu University identified four variants of Neanderthal origin which are believed to be responsible.

The four variants are believed to be involved in ‘Cytokine storms’ which happen in severe cases of COVID-19.

You struggle to get a tan

Genes from Neanderthals may affect how easily you get a suntan – and whether you are prone to burning.

Research in 2018 by the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany compared Neanderthal DNA to DNA from 112,000 participants in the UK Biobank pilot study.

The researchers observe multiple different Neanderthal alleles (variants in DNA) contributing to skin and hair tones.

Unsluisler said: ‘Individuals with Neanderthal ancestry might tend towards lighter or darker skin tones, with some having alleles associated with lighter skin tones that may have provided increased resistance to UV light in regions with lower sunlight intensity.’

A close relative of modern humans, Neanderthals went extinct 40,000 years ago

The Neanderthals were a close human ancestor that mysteriously died out around 40,000 years ago.

The species lived in Africa with early humans for millennia before moving across to Europe around 300,000 years ago.

They were later joined by humans, who entered Eurasia around 48,000 years ago.  

The Neanderthals were a cousin species of humans but not a direct ancestor – the two species split from a common ancestor –  that perished around 50,000 years ago. Pictured is a Neanderthal museum exhibit

These were the original ‘cavemen’, historically thought to be dim-witted and brutish compared to modern humans.

In recent years though, and especially over the last decade, it has become increasingly apparent we’ve been selling Neanderthals short.

A growing body of evidence points to a more sophisticated and multi-talented kind of ‘caveman’ than anyone thought possible.

It now seems likely that Neanderthals had told, buried their dead, painted and even interbred with humans.   

They used body art such as pigments and beads, and they were the very first artists, with Neanderthal cave art (and symbolism) in Spain apparently predating the earliest modern human art by some 20,000 years.

They are thought to have hunted on land and done some fishing. However, they went extinct around 40,000 years ago following the success of Homo sapiens in Europe.  

Why Neanderthals had protruding faces: The distinctive shape helped our ancient cousins breathe in more air while running and hunting

Scientists led by the University of New England in Armidale, Australia, applied a range of sophisticated computer simulations to investigate…

Archaeologists unearth wooden tools created 90,000 years ago by Neanderthals who carved tree trunks with stone and treated them with FIRE

Archaeologists have discovered the oldest-known Neanderthal wooden tools. The tools were deposited about 90,000 years ago and found in…

Bite marks on ancient bear bones reveal Neanderthals hunted the huge predators and even stole their caves 50,000 years ago

Researchers at the University of Ferrara, in Italy studies more than 1,700 prehistoric bear bones and found evidence of cooking as well as…

Is THIS what killed off the Neanderthals? Scientists say our ancient cousins lacked part of the brain that helps humans communicate and…

Neanderthals had less grey matter in an area vital for memory, thinking and communication skills, suggests a new study from experts at Keio…

Not so stupid after all: 35,000-year-old flint flake was ‘engraved symbolically by a skilled Neanderthal’

The delicate flint flake (pictured) dated to the Middle Paleolithic period and was found in the cave site of Kiik-Koba in Crimea.

Jawbone unearthed in a Spanish cave that is almost 1 MILLION years old is the oldest fossil of a human species ever found in Western Europe

Although a handful of older human remains have been found in Europe, none could be attributed to a specific species, making this new finding…

Neanderthals were ‘sophisticated hunters’: Our ancient cousins stalked prey in groups before stabbing them at close range with wooden…

Researchers at Mainz University made the discovery after studying 120,000-year-old deer bones from the Neanderthal site of Neumark-Nord in…

Neanderthal brains re-created in a lab could one day be put into crab-like ROBOTS to create cyborg cavemen, scientists claim

Researchers from the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) School of Medicine are simultaneously growing brain tissue from human DNA to…

Neanderthals COULD start fires: Ancient flint tools reveal the hominids created their own flames 50,000 years ago and didn’t rely on…

Researchers from Leiden University in the Netherlands identified mineral traces on Neanderthal tools that suggested they had been repeatedly…

‘Exceptional’ 560,000-year-old child’s milk tooth found in French cave could reveal the secrets of our ancestors

The fossil was discovered in the Arago Cave, a vast prehistoric grotto at Tautavel on the French side of the Pyrenees mountains bordering…

Homo sapiens drove Neanderthals to extinction because they learnt to adapt and conquer a variety of climates across the world

Scientists at the Max Planck Institute in Germany and the University of Michigan say Homo sapiens conquered the world because they quickly…

Hybrid Neanderthal love child is found in a cave in Siberia: Teenage daughter of a Neanderthal mother and a Denisovan father who lived…

A study of a tiny bone fragment (inset image) found in the Denisova cave in Russia’s Altai Mountains shows the teenager had a Neanderthal…

Inside the Siberian cave where a hybrid Neanderthal love child was found: Incredible photos show where the teenage daughter of a Neanderthal…

Other discoveries in the cave where Denny lived, in the limestone foothills of the Altai Mountains, have already proved that the Denisovans…

Neanderthals were no brutes – they had hands capable of ‘precision work’, researchers find

New evidence, published in Science Advances, reveals that the Neanderthals were also more similar to modern humans in their physical…

Fossil teeth discovered in Italy reveal Neanderthals developed distinct features as far back as 450,000 years ago

The remains from Fontana Fanuccio and Visogliano in Italy suggest Neanderthal dental features evolved by the Early-Middle Pleistocene,…

Not so brutish after all: Neanderthals had a ‘well developed system of care’ to look after their sick and ‘midwives’ who helped with…

The University of York study suggests they provided widespread healthcare to members of their group, even offering assisted childbirth.

Is our image of the ascent of man all wrong? Reconstruction of a 60,000-year-old ribcage using 3D imaging reveals Neanderthals stood…

Digital reconstruction of a Neanderthal at Tel Aviv University has rebuilt his ribcage and found that the primitive hominid had a better…

Earliest evidence ever uncovered for lead poisoning is found in the teeth of Neanderthal children who lived 250,000 years ago 

At least two lead mines are located within 15 miles of the archaeological site at La Payre in the Rhone Valley, south eastern France, where…

Neanderthals were NOT violent brutes they were ‘only’ as aggressive as humans, study of skeletons finds

A comparison of 200 skulls dating back 80,000 years led by the Institute of Evolution and Ecology at the University of Tubingen in Germany…

Humans and Neanderthals were frequent lovers: DNA tests show the two species interbred ‘many times’ over 35,000 years

Experts at Temple University in Philadelphia say early humans and Neanderthals interbred ‘multiple times’ as our ancestors began to leave…

Is Neanderthal DNA affecting the shape of your HEAD? Genes acquired through interbreeding between ancient species give some people with…

Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany compared casts of Neanderthal skulls with modern human…

Neanderthal super-spears that could kill animals from 65ft away reveal how ancient human ancestors were more advanced than thought 

University College London researchers created accurate replicas of Neanderthal spears dating back 300,000 years which reached a target at…

Where the last Neanderthals walked: Researchers discover 29,000-year-old footprint in Gibraltar linked to human ancestor

The experts say the discovery lines up with late Neanderthal-era findings from the nearby Gorham’s Cave, and if confirmed, would be only the…

Neanderthals did NOT have hunched backs: New study on ancient spine of older male individual discovered in France shows their posture was…

A new re-analysis of the La Chapelle-aux-Saints Neanderthal adds support to the interpretation that their anatomy was much like that of…

Tooth of an adult Neanderthal found in France reveals the woman’s diet was mostly made up of meat not plants

The caveman diet consisted mainly of meat in what researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany call a…

Neanderthals hunted golden eagles 130,000 years ago and may have prized their talons and feathers

A team of researchers from The Gibraltar National Museum have found that neanderthals may have treated golden eagles as a symbolic species…

Neanderthals and modern humans separated as species at least 800,000 years ago – more than twice as long ago as was previously thought 

Researchers from University College London analysed dental evolutionary rates across different hominin species, focusing on early…

Did infertility kill off the Neanderthals? Mysterious disappearance could be explained by just a 2.7 per cent decline in female fertility

Scientists have yet to agree on a single reason explaining why Neanderthals disappeared. A researcher from France looked into the…

Neanderthals didn’t always live in caves: Ancient human ancestor lived in the open air in Israel as recently as 54,000 years ago

Researchers have identified skeletal remains and over 12,000 artefacts which they say is evidence the area was an on-and-off home to…

Neanderthals used a ‘prehistoric SUPERGLUE’ to keep their rudimentary tools together more than 40,000 years ago while they crafted spears,…

The glue was detected by researchers led from the University of Pisa on tools unearthed in two caves – the Grotta del Fossellone and Grotta…

Humans left Africa and made it to modern-day Europe 150,000 years earlier than previously thought, study of an ancient skull found in a…

Researchers claim nobody alive today is related to the individual found in the Apidima cave as the population the individual belonged to was…

Neanderthals commonly suffered from bony growths known today as ‘surfer’s ear’ that’s caused by regular exposure to cold water or chilly…

Washington University examined well-preserved ear canals in the remains of 77 ancient humans, including Neanderthals and early modern humans…

Neanderthal footprint discovery is one of the first to shed light on social groups as 80,000-year-old fossils show a gathering of up to 14…

Palaeoanthropologists led from the Muséum national d’Histoire naturelle in Paris analysed 257 fossilised Neanderthal footprints from the an…

Neanderthals may have been wiped out by EAR INFECTIONS: Scientists say complications of the common childhood illness could have triggered…

While antibiotics are taken for granted in the modern world, a lack of sophisticated medicine 40,000 years ago is believed to have seen the…

Humans’ ancient ancestors developed bows and arrows 20,000 years earlier than thought – allowing them to survive while the Neanderthals were…

An excavation of the Grotta del Cavallo cave in southern Italy found our ancestors’ superior spears and bows and arrows allowed them to kill…

Early humans travelled to Greek islands tens of thousands of years earlier than believed and could even have WALKED to them when seas were…

Archaeologists led fromCanada’s McMaster University have been working on Naxos since 2013, excavating up stone tools in a quarry called…

Death of the Neanderthals may have been a result of INBREEDING and not competition with of modern humans, scientists claim 

Unlike other studies into the demise of the Neanderthal, new research by Eindhoven University of Technology in the Netherlands suggests…

Cavemen on the costas: Neanderthals travelled to the Spanish coast in search of the sun – just like modern-day holidaymakers 

Fossilised mammal tracks in coastal dunes of Gibraltar have been linked to Neanderthals, suggesting the small headland was a refuge for the…

Neanderthals dived for clams and swam up to 13 feet underwater off the Italian coast 100,000 years ago

Scientists made the discovery after analysing 171 shells dating back 100,000 years to a cave where Neanderthals used to live…

Stone tools found in a cave in Siberia reveal the epic journey nomadic Neanderthals made from Europe around 59,000 years ago

Analysis of the tools found that they were formed in the same manner as those used by Neanderthals in eastern Europe, rather than those…

We’re all a little more Neanderthal than we thought: Study claims ancient Europeans introduced Neanderthal DNA to African populations 30,000…

Princeton University researchers used a computational method, called IBDmix, to assess the DNA of 2,504 modern Africans and non-Africans.

Is this proof Neanderthals DID bury their dead in elaborate ceremonies? ‘Deliberately buried’ skeleton of a middle-aged human ancestor who…

The remains – consisting of a crushed but complete skull, upper thorax and both hands – were recently unearthed at the Shanidar Cave site…

Fossilized ‘devils trail’ along southern Italian volcano was made by Neanderthals who walked through liquid lava hours after violent…

Archaeologists believe the ‘devils trail’ of 81 Neanderthal footprints were made hours or days after the Roccamonfina volcano in southern…

Neanderthals feasted regularly on a diet of sea snails, mussels, clams and crabs that were rich in omega-3 and helped develop their…

Over 80,000 years ago, Neanderthals were already feeding themselves regularly on mussels, fish and other marine life, according to a new…

Europeans carry more than 500 genetic ‘fragments’ inherited from archaic human species such as Neanderthals – including some linked to…

The ancestors of Europeans are known to have mated with Neanderthals and other archaic humans more than 50,000 years ago – trading genetic…

Homo sapiens WERE to blame for Neanderthal extinction because they were better hunters and out-competed them for food, computer model shows

Mathematicians used the enormous processing power of the IBS supercomputer Aleph to simulate what happened throughout Eurasia around 40,000…

Humans and Neanderthals were more genetically alike than polar bears and brown bears – and could produce ‘fertile and healthy’ offspring…

Analysis from the University of Oxford reveals Homo sapiens and Neanderthals were more genetically similar than brown and polar bears are…

Neanderthals’ low genetic diversity may have caused their extinction by hampering their ability to adapt to environmental changes, study…

Experts studied variations in the upper neck bone of Neanderthals found in Spain and Croatia – the proliferation of which is associated with…

‘Mini brains’ grown from human stem cells containing Neanderthal DNA could shed light on how our ancient ancestors’ genes have influenced…

Researchers from Germany showed how genetic material derived from our distant Neanderthal cousins can be identified and tracked in the model…

Neanderthals weren’t as tough as they seemed: Ancient species had a LOWER pain threshold than most modern-day humans – and the one in 250…

Genetic analysis from researchers at the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany found almost all Neanderthals had a…

Milk tooth belonging to ‘one of the last Neanderthals in Northern Italy’ who lived 48,000 years ago is found in the Berici Hills west of…

The tooth was discovered in a rock shelter at an archaeological site called ‘Riparo del Broion’ on the Berici Hills in the Veneto region,…

Y-ped out: Neanderthal male sex chromosomes were gradually ERADICATED by ‘superior’ modern human genes which spread after interbreeding…

Natural selection across the generations following interbreeding would have seen the Neanderthals’ original Y chromosomes gradually…

Neanderthals were born with their characteristic ‘barrel-shaped’ rib cages that allowed them to carry extra body weight, study finds 

Researchers led from France made the first ever three dimensional reconstructions of four of the archaic human’s infants by scanning…

Neanderthals and humans were engaged in brutal guerrilla-style warfare across the globe for over 100,000 years, evidence shows 

Dr Nicholas R. Longrich of the University of Bath explains in an article for The Conversation how guerrilla tactics saw battles waged…

Neanderthal children started eating solid foods at six months old – just like modern humans, study claims

Analysis of three ancient teeth found in Italy reveals both humans and Neanderthals are first given solid food by their carers at around six…

Neanderthals could grasp a hammer but would have struggled to pick up a coin because the joints in their thumbs made precision grips more…

Experts led from the UK compared the thumb bones in Neanderthals and modern humans – finding that the former were better suited to ‘power…

Neanderthal known as ‘Altamura Man’ who fell down a well and starved to death over 130,000 years ago had buck teeth he likely used as a…

Cavers spotted the remains in the Lamalunga Cave, Italy, in 1993 – finding them covered in deposits of calcite, a mineral derived from the…

Neanderthals DID bury their dead: New analysis of a 41,000-year-old skeleton reveals the two-year-old child was laid carefully in a grave…

The child’s skeleton was unearthed in 1973 from a rock shelter at the La Ferrassie dig site in Savignac-de-Miremont, Dordogne, southwest…

Analysis of 48,000-year-old Neanderthal teeth discovered in Jersey suggest interbreeding with modern humans was common 

While the teeth had been assumed to come from a single Neanderthal, fresh analysis by British experts has now concluded they came from at…

Samples of 50,000-year-old Neanderthal poop reveal we’ve had beneficial microbiomes in our guts for hundreds of thousands of years – just as…

DNA samples from 50,000-year-old Neanderthal feces shows human guts have similar microbiomes that played a role in the advancement of humans…

Is THIS what makes us so different to Neanderthals? Scientists discover a single gene alteration that may have separated modern humans from…

Experts catalogued differences between the genomes of modern humans and those of Neanderthals and Denisovans. One gene alteration – NOVA1 -…

Fossilised tooth of a nine-year-old child found 400km from Cairo is most southerly evidence of Neanderthals ever discovered – raising the…

Archaeologists from the Max Planck Institute and international partners re-examined the fossil record from Shuqba Cave which is 28km…

Neanderthals could SPEAK just like modern humans! CT scans of the extinct species’ ears indicate they had the capacity to perceive and…

High resolution CT scans and 3D models of the ear structures of Neanderthals were created and revealed they heard in the same range of sound…

Neanderthal remains in Belgium thought to be 37,000 years old are actually thousands of years OLDER, scientists reveal in discovery that…

Archaeologists re-dated a number of Neanderthal specimens from Spy Cave in Belgium, a renowned site for palaeolithic discoveries and found…

Neanderthal teeth with toothpick marks found in Poland suggest the prehistoric species practiced dental hygiene more than 46,000 years ago,…

A Neanderthal premolar and wisdom tooth discovered in southern Poland’s Stajnia Cave show signs their owners repeatedly used a…

Neanderthal footprints discovered on a Spanish beach were left by a child ‘jumping irregularly as though dancing’ in the sand 100,000 years…

The site, on Matalascanas beach in Spain, sits between Huelva and Cadiz, and is where the ancestors of modern humans would drink, hunt,…

Traces of Neanderthal DNA extracted from cave dust by powerful new technique reveals how European tribe living in Spanish cave was replaced…

Small amounts of Neanderthal DNA discovered in Spanish and Russian caves from dust could give researchers from Max Planck Institute new…

Neanderthals and Homo sapiens lived TOGETHER in Israel’s Negev Desert 50,000 years ago, carbon dating research finds

Researchers now believe that humans and Neanderthals lived together in Israel’s Negev desert, approximately 50,000 years ago after evidence…

New type of ancient human is found in Israel: Homo Nesher Ramla had flat head, big teeth, NO chin and appears to be ancestor of…

Researchers analyzing bones found in an Israeli quarry in 2010 have confirmed they’re from a branch of the human evolutionary tree connected…

Meet ‘Dragon Man’: Newly-identified ancient humans who lived 150,000 years ago and had SQUARE eye sockets and a wide mouth may replace…

Re-analysis of the ‘Harbin cranium’ first found in 1930 in northeast China has suggested that it did not belong to Homo heidelbergensis, but…

World’s oldest ORNAMENT is discovered: Engraved deer toe dating back at least 51,000 years is uncovered in Germany, proving Neanderthals had…

The ornament was skilfully engraved with regularly spaced and neatly stacked chevrons say the team from Lower Saxony State Service for…

Did sex with modern humans kill off the Neanderthals? Interbreeding could have led to a blood disorder in their babies that helped to drive…

The condition is often worse in second and subsequent pregnancies, meaning it would have limited the number of offspring Neanderthals could…

Neanderthals were far more artistic than first thought! Cave paintings of swirling dots, ladders, animals and hands in Spain were drawn by…

Samples of red residue allowed a team from Barcelona University to re-examine the origins of cave ‘art’ and confirm it was created by…

Archaeologists discover bones of a woman who lived 14,000 years ago at site in Spain where evidence of the LAST Neanderthals and first…

Experts have found the remains of a woman that lived 14,000 years ago at the Cova Gran de Santa Linya site in Spain where evidence of the…

Meet Krijn: Scientists reconstruct the face of a ‘sturdy’ male Neanderthal who had a TUMOUR above his eyebrow 70,000 years ago – a…

The reconstruction of a male Neanderthal called Krijn has been based on a solitary bone fragment of the brow, found in 2001 in Zeeland, the…

Did NEANDERTHALS once live on Princess Diana’s childhood estate? Archaeologists searching for ‘lost’ medieval village at Althorp stumble…

Pieces of worked sea shell found at Althorp Park, in Northamptonshire, were thought to be from the Middle Ages but carbon dating has…

Neanderthal milk tooth from a baby who lived 120,000 years ago shows primary teeth appeared four months sooner in the extinct species than…

The discovery of a Neanderthal milk tooth suggest that Neanderthal they were able to eat solid foods at an earlier age, which may have been…

Modern humans weren’t the first to change the world! Neanderthals cleared a forest in Germany with fire or tools 125,000 years ago, study…

Sediments at an archaeological site called Neumark-Nord some 20 miles west of Leipzig were analysed by a team of archaeologists led from…

Did human diseases kill the Neanderthals? Tropical illnesses carried by Homo sapiens from Africa to Europe and Asia may have wiped out our…

Interbreeding between the two species led to hybrid humans that had an immunity to Neanderthal diseases. This allowed Homo sapiens to invade…

Ancestors of modern humans had sex with at least FIVE different archaic human species as they headed out of Africa 

Australian researchers have revealed that the ancestors of modern humans interbred with five different archaic human groups, two of which…

Neanderthals were ‘more Usain Bolt than Mo Farah’: Ancient human ancestors were built for speed and not endurance, scientists claim

Researchers at Bournemouth University and University College London argue that they were adapted for speed, which helped them ambush prey.

How climate change helped Homo sapiens replace Neanderthals across Europe: Researchers find cold, dry shifts coincided with the emergence of…

German researchers found cold periods coincided with an apparent disappearance of our evolutionary cousins, followed by the appearance of…

Swedish paleontologist who proved that Neanderthals are ‘still alive’ wins Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine – as Covid vaccine…

The prize, arguably among the most prestigious in the scientific world, is awarded by the Nobel Assembly of Sweden’s Karolinska Institute…

Meet the first Neanderthal FAMILY! 59,000-year-old remains of individuals discovered in a cave in Russia are confirmed to be a father, his…

Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology in Germany analysed the DNA of 13 Neanderthal individuals from two…

One in three European women has Neanderthal gene that increases their chances of giving birth to healthy children 

The study published by researchers at the Max Planck Institute found one in three women inherited their receptor for progesterone from our…

Were Neanderthals CARNIVORES? Analysis of a 150,000-year-old individual’s tooth suggests their diet was solely comprised of meat

Analysis of a Neanderthal tooth from Spain suggests our primitive ancestors primarily ate meat, report experts at Géosciences Environnement…

Ancient human relative that lived in South Africa 2 MILLION years ago walked like a human but climbed like an ape, analysis of ‘missing…

An international team of researchers used bones found in lumps of rock from a cave near Johannesburg in South Africa to reconstruct one of…

Ancient camp is discovered in Madrid where Neanderthals hosted ‘hunting parties’ to track down large bovids and deer 76,000 years ago

Covering a space of 3,200 sq ft (300m2), archaeologists believe the Abrigo de Navalmaíllo site in Pinilla del Valle, Madrid could be the…

Neanderthals may have sailed Europe’s seas 120,000 years ago and lived on a Danish island separated from the continent’s mainland by 30…

Danish researchers found 120,000-year-old mussel shells and flint that bears possible signs of knapping – using another rock or tool to chip…

Ancient yarn made by Neanderthals more than 40,000 years ago challenges the theory that our prehistoric cousins were far less intelligent…

The 6 millimetre-long cord fragment of ancient yarn – the oldest ever known – was found at an archaeological site in Abri du Maras, in the…

Neanderthals may not have been quite as clever as we thought: Ancient ‘glue’ made from birch tar and used by the species may have been…

Archaeologists led from the University of Tübingen, Germany experimented with burning birch bark in the same kind of open air environment…

Giant stone HANDAXE is discovered at an Ice Age site in Kent – and experts say it’s so big they don’t know how people would have used the…

The excavations, which took place in Kent, revealed prehistoric artefacts in deep Ice Age sediments preserved on a hillside above the Medway…

Six weird traits which show you have Neanderthal DNA: From being a SMOKER to having straight hair

DNA from Neanderthals has small, but detectable effects on humans today, stemming from an ancient period where humans and Neanderthals…