By now, it’s firmly established that modern humans and their Neanderthal relatives met and mated as our ancestors expanded out of Africa, resulting in a substantial amount of Neanderthal DNA scattered throughout our genome. Less widely recognized is that some of the Neanderthal genomes we’ve seen have pieces of modern human DNA as well.

In the plains of western Ukraine, researchers digging through ancient soil found a handful of small, broken pieces of ivory that might change how we think about early humans. The fragments—24 in total—came from the tusks of a long-extinct mammoth species.

Add Yahoo as a preferred source to see more of our stories on Google. When you buy through links on our articles, Future and its syndication partners may earn a commission. A reconstruction of a late Neanderthal from El Salt, southeastern Spain. Some of ...

Introduction. Rethinking the human revolution: Eurasian and African perspectives / Paul Mellars -- pt. 1. Biological and demographic perspectives on modern human origins. The origin and dispersal of Homo sapiens: our current state of knowledge / Chris ...