Neanderthal-Human Similarities Not Due to Mating
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Sharing a common ancestor, rather than sharing a bed, may be a better explanation for the genetic traits shared by humans and Neanderthals, a U.K. study found.
Genetic similarities between the two species are unlikely to be the result of human-Neanderthal sex, known as hybridization, during their 15,000-year co-existence in Europe, researchers from the University of Cambridge wrote in a paper published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.