including us, homo sapiens While modern humans, also known as humans, first appeared on the Eurasian plains about 70,000 years ago, much of the ancient world was already overrun with Neanderthals. These two species, derived from a common creature, lived together for a while. Then something happened and the Neanderthal race became extinct 40,000 years ago. On the other hand, we are now 8 billion There is one.

Traces of lost human race found in remains of Neanderthals

Neanderthals and Homo sapiens lived together for a while, and in the process individuals emerged that were hybrids of the two races. Today, many people still contain genetic remnants of their Neanderthal ancestors in their DNA. New research, neanderthals It shows that there are traces of modern humans in the ruins.

According to researchers, modern humans lived in the Late Pleistocene. to Eurasia when you reach The Neanderthals who lived there already carried traces of our species’ DNA. This appears to have happened during their encounter with a previously unknown, apparently older line of modern humans.

According to the study authors, this situation may have a number of causes Homo sapiens It indicates that it entered Eurasia more than 250 thousand years ago. Considering that, according to the fossil record, the evolution of modern humans took place in Africa about 300,000 years ago, this lost lineage stands out as a very ancient race.

evolutionary biologist at the University of Pennsylvania Alexander Plattin his statement “We discovered in these genes a reflection of the ancient interbreeding of ancient modern humans with Neanderthals.” he said. According to Platt, this species occupied Africa 250 thousand to 270 thousand years ago He left some time ago.

The research has been published in Current Biology.