Scientists have long argued about the relationship of Homo sapiens to neanderthals (Homo neanderthalensis).  When our lineage diverged from theirs, and whether was interbreeding between the two species, are subjects of controversy among researchers.  New DNA evidence, extracted from a 38,000-year-old piece of neanderthal bone, may help shed light on this debate and help unlock "what it means to be human."  Researchers from the two international teams working on the project suggest that we neanderthals and humans have had a common ancestor less than a million years ago--a blink of an eye in geologic time--and that the two populations began evolving separately only 370,000 years ago.  The scientists hope to learn much more from the DNA--such as whether the neanderthals may have had a language.
Source: Peter Gorner, Chip off Neanderthal bone opens a door to our past.  Chicago Tribune, November 16.