Neanderthals and humans interbred 47,000 years ago for nearly 7,000 years, research suggests

DNA from prehistoric and modern-day people suggests that humans interbred with Neanderthals 47,000 years ago for a period lasting 6,800 years.

Neanderthal genes seen in modern humans may have entered our DNA through an interval of interbreeding starting about 47,000 years ago that lasted nearly 7,000 years, new research finds.

Neanderthals were among the closest extinct relatives of modern humans (Homo sapiens), with the ancestors of both lineages diverging about 500,000 years ago. More than a decade ago, scientists revealed that Neanderthals interbred with the ancestors of modern humans who migrated out of Africa. Today, the genomes of modern human populations outside Africa contain about 1% to 2% of Neanderthal DNA.

Researchers are still unsure about when and where Neanderthal DNA made its way into the modern human genome. For instance, did Neanderthals and modern humans intermingle at one specific place and time outside Africa, or did they interbreed at many places and times?

To solve this mystery, researchers analyzed more than 300 modern human genomes spanning the past 45,000 years. These included samples from 59 individuals who lived between 2,200 and 45,000 years ago and 275 diverse present-day modern humans. The scientists posted their findings on the BioRxiv preprint database. (As the study is currently under review for potential publication in a scientific journal, the study's authors declined to comment.)

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