00:03When you imagine the evolution of Homo sapien, it's easy to imagine something like this,
00:07where our great ape ancestors turned into upright versions, eventually becoming Neanderthals,
00:12and then modern humans. However, our species was a spectrum for a long while, when Neanderthals and
00:17humans existing at the same time. However, new research suggests that not only did they exist
00:21together, but they did so for a long time, and they intermingled a lot, if you know what I mean.
00:27The researchers say that rather than a quick dying off of Neanderthals, where larger populations
00:31suddenly disappeared, they say that their numbers were much smaller than previously believed,
00:36with the researchers saying their numbers were likely 20% lower than previously thought,
00:40meaning Neanderthals were more likely interacting sexually with humans and mixing DNA.
00:44We have long known that the two groups intermingled, as we can still find traces of Neanderthal DNA in
00:50us today. This research highlights just how much the two groups mixed, with the DNA pool eventually
00:55flowing towards humans. However, their research found human DNA in Neanderthal remains as well,
01:01going back as far as 250,000 years ago.
