Neanderthal DNA exists in humans, but one piece is mysteriously missing

Neanderthals, the closest relatives of modern humans, lived in parts of Europe and Asia until their extinction about 30,000 years ago. Genetic studies are increasingly revealing more about the links between modern humans and these long-gone relatives – most recently that a wave of interbreeding between our species occurred over a relatively short period of … Read more

The mystery of the disappearing Neanderthal Y chromosome

Neanderthal man at the human evolution exhibit at the Natural History Museum.

At various points in our tangled history, modern humans have mated with each other Neanderthals. This left a telltale signature on the genomes of today’s modern humans, and this Neanderthal DNA impacts our health in countless ways. However, there is one part of our genome where no Neanderthal DNA is present: the Y chromosome. But … Read more