The finding grew out of a widely hailed technological feat. Researchers from the University of Munich and Penn State University managed to extract DNA from the upper-arm bone of a Neanderthal fossil - the first time DNA has been recovered from a Neanderthal. The bone was found in 1856 in Germany’s Neander Valley and is now in a Bonn museum. Comparing the DNA structure of Neanderthals with that of modern humans, the scientists found substantial differences - an average of 27 mutations. The findings suggest that humans and Neanderthals split from a common ancestor about 600,000 years ago. In other words, a family reunion isn’t in order.
