DNA gets everywhere. So when we're dealing with a sample and you find it's got human DNA in it - is that DNA from the fossil, or is it actually DNA from the person who unearthed it? |
Neanderthals are three times as different from us as we all are from each other, |
The discovery that early humans could have existed this far north this long ago was startling. |
There are enough fossils showing distinctive features to rule out the possibility these are unusual or aberrant modern humans, |
There's about 1,000 times more mitochondrial DNA than nuclear DNA in our cells, so it's much easier to pick up, |
We've now got about 10 Neanderthal specimens of around 40-50,000 years old that have yielded DNA that is clearly distinct from anyone alive today. |