Over Past 250,000 Years, Three Major Waves Of Human-Neanderthal Interbreeding Have Been Identified

Over Past 250,000 Years, Three Major Waves Of Human-Neanderthal Interbreeding Have Been Identified

Don't ever disrespect Neanderthals, our histories are more deeply intertwined than we ever imagined.

Neanderthal Fingerprint Found on Ancient Art May Be the Oldest Human Mark in History

A remarkable archaeological discovery in Spain has uncovered the oldest known human fingerprint—left not in wet clay or soft soil, but pressed into pigment on a piece of Neanderthal artwork more than 42,000 years ago.The object: a granite stone painted with a red ochre dot, intentionally placed to highlight the image of a human face. This is currently the oldest known example of portable art linked to a Neanderthal—and thanks to a smear of pigme…