Hybrids may have made bigger splash in gene pool than thought

Published on 10/12/2012 00:00

INTERBREEDING between humans and Neanderthals may have been more common than believed, a study shows.

Recent research has suggested that Neanderthals bred with modern humans tens of thousands of years ago, mixing the gene pools of the species.

Dr Liliana Cortés-Ortizs said: “The implications of these results are that physical features are not always reliable for identifying individuals of hybrid ancestry.

“Therefore, it is possible that hybridisation has been underestimated.”