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Neanderthals were the closest extinct relative to the modern humans, classified as either a subspecies of Homo Sapiens or as a separate human species - Homo Neanderthalensis. Adapted to living in cold environments, perhaps even better than our direct ancestors the Homo Sapiens, Neanderthals were short and stocky, with angled cheek bones, and a huge nose for humidifying and warming cold, dry air. They emerged around 200 000 and went extinct some 28 000 years ago, though recent genetic studies suggest that Homo Neanderthalensis might not be as extinct as previously thought, as between 1% and 4% of the Eurasian human genome seems to come from Neanderthals. Learn more about our extinct relatives, their features, culture and possible causes of extinction in this book.

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