Science Says You're Part Neanderthal

Our prehistoric cousins would have made ideal mates for early humans as they left Africa for the wilds of Eurasia.

Unless your ancestry is wholly African, you're part Neanderthal. Genetic researchers at the Université de Montreal now conclude that when humans first began leaving Africa for parts unknown between 50,000 and 80,000 years ago, a bunch of them decided to shack up with Neanderthals, another hominid species that lived mostly in Eurasia. Researchers posit that their sophistication (they had language, music, art, and basic tools), as well as their ability to withstand frigid winters, would have made them ideal partners for us pitiful humans. Neanderthals were extinct by about 30,000 BCE, due to any number of scenarios: mass human vs. Neanderthal wars (hello, Hollywood), climate change, absorption into the human race, disease, etc., so it's kind of nice to know that their legacy isn't entirely lost.

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