(CNN) Neanderthal remains believed to belong to some of the last survivors of the species in Europe are thousands of years older than once thought, according to a new study. Exactly when Neanderthals, our closest ancestors, disappeared in Europe is hotly debated. They are thought to have gone extinct around 40,000 years ago -- not long after modern humans migrated out of Africa. But experts from Belgium, England and Germany suspected that the age of previously analyzed specimens could be unreliable due to contamination. Using a process known as liquid chromatography separation, experts extracted a single amino acid from the Neanderthal remains.

Source: CNN March 09, 2021 17:26 UTC