Early modern humans left Africa about 80,000 to 50,000 years ago. The question has long been whether the physically stronger Neanderthals, who possessed the gene for language and may have played the flute, were a separate species or could have interbred with modern humans. The answer is yes, the two lived in close association.
MORE: http://www.dailygalaxy.com/my_weblog/2012/02/what-was-the-impact-of-early-human-neanderthal-interbreeding.html
See also...
European Neanderthals Were On the Verge of Extinction Even Before the Arrival of Modern Humans
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120225110942.htm
Theory of the 'Rotting' Y Chromosome Dealt a Fatal Blow
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120222154359.htm
New evidence suggests Stone Age hunters from Europe discovered America
http://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/americas/new-evidence-suggests-stone-age-hunters-from-europe-discovered-america-7447152.html
Classic Maya Civilization Collapse Related to Modest Rainfall Reductions, Research Suggests
http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2012/02/120223142455.htm
