Things About Early Humans That Will Blow Your Mind

We May Have Neanderthal Genes

Neanderthals are our closest extinct human relatives. Our well-known, but often misunderstood ancestors lived between Europe and Asia up to 200,000 to 30,000 years ago. While the Neanderthals’ appearance was slightly similar to ours, they were shorter and stockier with angled cheekbones, prominent brow ridges, and wide noses. These qualities were important for survival in Europe’s cold climate and in order to hunt big animals for food. Though sometimes thought of as barbarians, scientists have discovered that Neanderthals in fact used tools, buried their dead and had control over fire.