Researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology have successfully decoded the oldest modern human genome, which dates back approximately 49,000 to 42,000 years. The genomes were extracted from seven individuals who lived in the regions of Lahnau, Germany, and Zlaté Hory, Czech Republic. This small group of closely related individuals separated from their population about 50,000 years ago after leaving Africa.
The findings reveal that the Neanderthal DNA present in non-African modern humans can be traced back to a hybridization event that occurred between 49,000 and 45,000 years ago, significantly later than previously believed. This discovery sheds light on the genetic characteristics of the first modern humans who migrated to Europe and their interactions with Neanderthals.