The Fascinating Path of Neanderthal Evolution: Where Did Neanderthals Come From?

Where did Neanderthals come from? Scientists search for the missing link between humans and Neanderthals.

By Sara Novak
Apr 21, 2022 7:45 PMJul 13, 2023 3:58 PM
Neanderthal
(Credit: GAS-photo/Shutterstock)

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Experts suggest Neanderthals are our closest extinct relative. In many ways, we’re alike: We are both hunter gatherers who have mastered the use of stone tools and weapons. But experts also agree that we have our differences.

Those differences are seen in a split from a common ancestor more than half a million years ago. Still, the species that connects us has long eluded scientists.

Searching for the Missing Link in Evolution

Experts thought Homo heidelbergensis was the missing link — an early human species known to be the first to build shelters — but newer research has called this theory into question.

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