By now, it’s firmly established that modern humans and their Neanderthal relatives met and mated as our ancestors expanded out of Africa, resulting in a substantial amount of Neanderthal DNA scattered throughout our genome. Less widely recognized is that some of the Neanderthal genomes we’ve seen have pieces of modern human DNA as well.

Neanderthals and humans likely mixed and mingled during a narrow time frame 45,000 years ago, scientists reported Thursday. Researchers analyzed ancient genes to pinpoint the time period, which is slightly more recent than previous estimates for the mating.

Scientists have identified how specific genetic changes function in cells to influence disease risk and other human health traits. By probing regions of DNA previously linked to disease, the work has created high-resolution maps of DNA variant activity,

Genes may play a bigger role in living a longer life, while lifestyle and luck still shape the outcome, according to a new study.

Scientists say DNA evidence indicates male Neanderthals and human females interbred more often than opposite