Gone but Not Forgotten.

NEANDERTHALS; FOSSIL hominids; ARCHAEOLOGICAL human remains; DNA; PAABO, Svante, 1955-; GENOMES; RUBIN, Edward M.

The article looks at how Neanderthals' genes provides clues about the extinct people. Two teams of scientists announced that they had analyzed DNA from the nuclei of cells preserved in Neanderthal fossils, which, they say, lays the groundwork for determining the entire sequence of the Neanderthal genome. According to the researchers, obtaining the genetic blueprint for Neanderthals could reveal important clues about how our own species evolved and could solve mysteries such as what did the ancient people look like and why did they vanish. The article discusses the researchers Svante Pääbo and Edward M. Rubin, interbreeding between humans and Neanderthals, and a gene called microcephalin that is involved in guiding brain formation.