If findings of a new study are to be believed, Neanderthals lived together with modern humans for thousands of years. Researchers have suggested that disappearance of Neanderthals did not happen quickly, as it was actually a gradual process. It paved way for modern humans and Neanderthals to share ideas, knowledge with each other and even make physical relations. Published in the journal Nature August 20 issue, the study has showed that modern humans and Neanderthals spent 2,600 to 5,400 years with each other, before Neanderthals ultimately disappeared about 40,000 years ago. It is not possible for researchers to tell precisely when the Neanderthals went extinct, because the samples more the 30,000 years old can't be analyzed properly through the mainstay process of radiocarbon dating due to contamination. However, modern methods helped researchers at the University of Oxford to remove contaminants and accurately determine the age of nearly 200 samples of bone, charcoal and shell from 40 important archaeological sites across Europe. Read more http://newstonight.co.za/content/neanderthals-lived-alongside-modern-humans-5000-years