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    Neanderthal Genes Help Shape How Many Modern Humans Look

    Calling someone a Neanderthal because of his coarse manners or brutish looks may seem like fun. But be careful. Neanderthal DNA persists inside many of us.
    by Greta Jochem Oct 05, 2017 2 minutes
    An employee of the Natural History Museum in London peeks at a model of a Neanderthal male in his 20s on display for a 2014 exhibition.

    Neanderthals died out some 30,000 years ago, but their genes live on within many of us.

    DNA from our shorter, stockier cousins may be influencing skin tone, ease of tanning, hair color and sleeping patterns of those of present-day Europeans, according to a study from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology published Thursday in the American Journal of Human Genetics.

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