Neanderthal males and human females had babies together, ancient DNA reveals

"What I thought was really cool was that we might be able to infer something about social behavior in these ancient populations. DNA can't spell out the context of how or why Neanderthal males had children with modern-human females. The researchers put forward mate preference as a plausible reason for the genetic patterns, a scientific term that could encompass a wide range of scenarios, from sexual coercion or violence to peaceful voluntary couplings."

"A big question is what was happening when these species came into contact with each other - and what was happening at an individual and community level? Scientists at the University of Pennsylvania examined Neanderthal DNA and modern human DNA to find evidence that couplings between these species followed the same parental pattern over interbreeding events separated by 200,000 years."

Scientists have known since 2010 that Neanderthals and modern humans interbred and produced hybrid offspring whose genes persist in many present-day people. A new study from the University of Pennsylvania examined Neanderthal and modern human DNA to investigate how these two closely related species interacted. The research reveals that couplings between Neanderthals and humans followed a consistent parental pattern: Neanderthal males with human females. This pattern repeated across interbreeding events separated by 200,000 years. While DNA cannot directly explain the reasons for this pattern, researchers propose mate preference as a plausible explanation, which could encompass various scenarios from coercion to voluntary coupling. The genetic model also allows for the possibility that male Neanderthals relocated into human populations. This research provides insights into social behavior and individual interactions between these ancient human species.

Read at The Washington Post