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We carry DNA from extinct cousins like Neanderthals. Science is now revealing their genetic legacy

By LAURA UNGAR and MADDIE BURAKOFF, LAURA UNGAR and MADDIE BURAKOFF, AP Science Writers
Published: September 25, 2023, 9:22am
4 Photos
People visit the exhibits inside the Smithsonian Hall of Human Origins, Thursday, July 20, 2023, at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington. DNA research has found that our Homo sapiens ancestors mated with Neanderthals and Denisovans long ago.
People visit the exhibits inside the Smithsonian Hall of Human Origins, Thursday, July 20, 2023, at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History in Washington. DNA research has found that our Homo sapiens ancestors mated with Neanderthals and Denisovans long ago. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin) Photo Gallery

Neanderthals live on within us.

These ancient human cousins, and others called Denisovans, once lived alongside our early Homo sapiens ancestors. They mingled and had children. So some of who they were never went away — it’s in our genes. And science is starting to reveal just how much that shapes us.

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