New Evidence About Neanderthals: Colour, Diet, Touch

Researchers found pieces of red and yellow ochre that Neanderthals shaped like crayons. These ochre pieces come from rock shelters in Crimea, a peninsula in Ukraine. The scientists say the pieces were sharpened and used to make marks on surfaces, so they may show symbolic behavior.

Other studies show Neanderthals ate a wide range of foods. One study found that fly larvae, or maggots, are very high in heavy nitrogen and could change isotope results in bones. Scientists also argue that Neanderthals likely kissed and that Neanderthals and modern humans sometimes mixed by interbreeding in the past. These discoveries change how we think about Neanderthal lives.