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Once upon a time, modern humans were just one of a species of intelligent hominids roaming the planet. Today we are alone, and the vanished Neanderthals, our “evolutionary cousins,” remain largely mysterious to science. But at least five surprising facts about them have been discovered.
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1. Neanderthals and modern humans have significant overlap in DNA, so many modern humans have 1 to 4% Neanderthal genetics (mostly Europeans and Asians).
2. Neanderthals were far from being as slow and phlegmatic as they are usually portrayed in primitive pictures in textbooks. They were skillful hunters, skillful tool makers and highly intelligent.
