News Humans

Oldest human DNA narrows time of Neandertal hookups

A 45,000-year-old Siberian bone provides genetic clues to human evolution

oldest H. sapien bone

ANTIQUE GENES   A 45,000-year-old modern human leg bone, recovered from Siberia in 2008, has yielded the oldest known Homo sapiens DNA and has provided clues to the timing of interbreeding between ancient humans and Neandertals.

Bence Viola/MPI EVA

By Bruce Bower

- More than 2 years ago

DNA of a 45,000-year-old Siberian man, the oldest modern human genetic material retrieved to date, indicates that he lived a short time after Homo sapiens interbred with Neandertals, a new report finds.