For the first time, scientists have sequenced the mitochondrial DNA of a Neanderthal.
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The mitochondria are only passed down the female line, so can be used to trace the species back to an ancestral "Eve", the mother of all Neanderthals. The team analysed the DNA of 13 genes from the Neanderthal mitochondria and found they were distinctly different to modern humans, suggesting Neanderthals never, or rarely, interbred with early humans. The genetic material shows that a Neanderthal "Eve" lived around 660,000 years ago, when the species last shared a common ancestor with humans.
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See also:
Pinpointing Genetic Variations In European Americans
Fingerprints Provide Clues To More Than Just Identity
