--- description: The molecules are from 130,000 to 170,000 years ago title: Oldest Neanderthal DNA Ever Found Is Discovered in Skeleton in Italy image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/bltde093bcdab65f2d0/6988d9b9bc6cfc69913e2a3c/time-logo.jpg?branch=production --- * [Science](/section/science/) ## Science Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close * [Archaeology](/tag/archaeology/) ## Archaeology Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close # Oldest Neanderthal DNA Ever Found Is Discovered in Skeleton in Italy by [Alex Rogers](/author/alex-rogers/) ## Alex Rogers Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 11, 2015 2:41 PM CUT by [Alex Rogers](/author/alex-rogers/) ## Alex Rogers Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close Apr 11, 2015 2:41 PM CUT Researchers studying a skeleton from a cave in Italy have discovered the oldest Neanderthal DNA ever found. Scientists have dated the molecules to about 130,000 to 170,000 years ago, according to [Live Science](http://www.livescience.com/50458-oldest-neanderthal-dna-found.html "undefined"). The skeleton was first found in 1993, but a new study evaluating the DNA from a piece of its right shoulder blade suggests that the fossil was a Neanderthal, the closest extinct relative of modern humans. “We have a nearly complete human fossil skeleton to describe and study in detail. It is a dream,” Fabio Di Vincenzo, the study’s co-author, told Live Science. “His morphology offers a rare glimpse on the earliest phase of the evolutionary history of Neanderthals and on one of the most crucial events in human evolution. He can help us better understand when—and, in particular, how—Neanderthals evolved.” \[[_Live Science_](http://www.livescience.com/50458-oldest-neanderthal-dna-found.html "undefined")\] ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/3818506/neanderthal-dna-oldest/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/3818506/neanderthal-dna-oldest/"},"headline":"Oldest Neanderthal DNA Ever Found Is Discovered in Skeleton in Italy","datePublished":"2015-04-11T14:41:01.000Z","dateModified":"2026-02-22T06:19:51.212Z","description":"The molecules are from 130,000 to 170,000 years ago","url":"https://time.com/3818506/neanderthal-dna-oldest/","keywords":["Archaeology","DNA"],"thumbnailUrl":"","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Alex Rogers","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/alex-rogers/"}],"articleSection":"Science","image":[],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/science/","name":"Science"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/archaeology/","name":"Archaeology"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/3818506/neanderthal-dna-oldest/","name":"Oldest Neanderthal DNA Ever Found Is Discovered in Skeleton in Italy"}}]},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"VideoObject","name":"Waking the Dead: Bringing Extinct Species Back to Life","description":"Conservationists and scientists have a saying, \"extinction is forever.\" But soon biologists will clone long-gone animals in the hope to redefine that axiom to \"DE-extinction is forever.\"","thumbnailUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/v2/media/7mURxfr4/poster.jpg?width=720","uploadDate":"2014-03-12T14:27:23.000Z","contentUrl":"https://cdn.jwplayer.com/manifests/7mURxfr4.m3u8","embedUrl":"https://time.com/3818506/neanderthal-dna-oldest/","duration":"PT4M3S","potentialAction":{"@type":"SeekToAction","target":"https://time.com/3818506/neanderthal-dna-oldest/?jw_start={seek_to_second_number}","startOffset-input":"required name=seek_to_second_number"}}] ```