A preference for pairings between male Neanderthals and female Homo sapiens may answer the question of why there are "Neanderthal deserts" in human chromosomes.

The human genome is a rich, complex record of migration, encounters, and inheritance written over thousands of millennia.

Geneticists have a better understanding of how prehistoric pairings unfolded, with new research suggesting they were mostly between male Neanderthals and female humans.

Discover the latest news, features and articles about who Neanderthals were, whether they mated with modern humans and when ...

Scientists say DNA evidence indicates male Neanderthals and human females interbred more often than opposite ...

New research reveals that ancient interbreeding between humans and Neanderthals shaped our modern human DNA - especially on the X chromosome.

Genomic analysis shows that interbreeding between female Neanderthals and human males was less common than the opposite ...

On the slopes of Mount Carmel in northern Israel, a small skull has changed the story of human history. Buried in Skhul Cave roughly 140,000 years ago, the remains of a five-year-old child show that ...

Most people alive today carry fragments of Neanderthal DNA in their genome. Now scientists are gaining a more intimate ...

Modern human faces are surprisingly delicate compared with the jutting jaws and broad noses of our closest extinct cousins. The contrast is not just cosmetic, it reflects deep differences in growth, ...

Neanderthals have fascinated scientists since they were first discovered in the 19th century. Their long heads and low brow ridges initially convinced experts that Neanderthals were some kind of ...

The fossilised bones of our ancestors remain silent. So, how can we possibly imagine what our earliest languages sounded like ...