Neanderthals and Other Human Cousins

What happened

Homo neanderthalensis evolved in Europe and western Asia. Robust and adapted to cold climates, Neanderthals made tools, used fire, hunted large game, and buried their dead. They lived alongside our own species and interbred with it before going extinct around 40,000 years ago.

Why it matters

Neanderthals show that Homo sapiens was not the only kind of human; for much of our history, several human species shared the planet, and their genes live on in many people today.

Sources

• Smithsonian Human Origins Program. Homo neanderthalensis · Reputable source