Neanderthals

"You know, this image of Neanderthals being brutes, is not quite accurate," says paleogenticist Laurits Skov. "The more we learn about them, the more like humans they appear to be."

Scientists say some of the earliest cave art found in Europe was done before humans arrived; thus, Neanderthal art, suggesting that our "brutish" cousins were capable of symbolic thinking.

A new study of the dental plaques of three Neanderthals reveals surprising facts about their lives, including what they ate, the diseases that ailed them and how they self-medicated (and smooched).

Lurking in the Eastern forests, from Mississippi to Maine, is a living hybrid. With the combined genetics of three distinct animals, it's a survivor, and a better predator. How is this animal a lot like you and me?