Far from triumphantly breezing out of Africa, modern humans went extinct many times before going on to populate the world, new studies have revealed.
The new DNA research has also shed new light on the role our Neanderthal cousins played in our success.
While these early European humans were long seen as a species which we successfully dominated after leaving Africa, new studies show that only humans who interbred with Neanderthals went on to thrive, while other bloodlines died out.
In fact, Neanderthal genes may have been crucial to our success by protecting us from new diseases we hadn’t previously encountered.
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A separate DNA study, published in the journal Science, shows that modern humans held on to some key genetic traits from Neanderthals that may have given them an evolutionary advantage.
One relates to their immune system. When humans emerged from Africa, they were extremely susceptible to new diseases they had never encountered. Interbreeding with Neanderthals gave their offspring protection.
