Neanderthal

No one has given the Neanderthals much credit for being intelligent and creative. In fact, they’ve always been thought of as humans’ younger, dumber cousins. But new evidence suggests they may have been more creative than once thought.

Scientists have discovered cave art in Spain that dates back at least 40,000 years – around the time, or even before, modern humans arrived in Europe. The researchers suspect the ancient artists may have been our more primitive cousins, the Neanderthals.

Thanks to a broken finger bone and wisdom tooth found in a Siberian cave, scientists have discovered a new branch in the hominid family tree. Known as the Denisovans, they are cousins to Neanderthals; lived in Asia from roughly 400,000 to 50,000 years ago; and interbred with the ancestors of today’s inhabitants of New Guinea.

Recent research on neandertals suggests that, despite our beliefs that we were superior to them, we may, in fact, be them – at least in part. Kate Wong explains the new findings, and shares her thoughts on bringing neandertals back from extinction.