Neanderthals: More Than Just Extinct Cousins An upcoming Netflix documentary, “Secrets of the Neanderthals,” explores the lives of these fascinating extinct hominins. While not quite sentient like us Homo sapiens, Neanderthals were highly intelligent and our closest extinct relatives. Our DNA shares about 96-98% similarity with chimpanzees, but creating human-chimp hybrids is ethically and biologically impossible. Neanderthals were indeed impressive! They had their own culture, evident in cave art and likely a form of communication. Similar to us, they crafted tools for hunting and used animal skins for clothing. While not “races” like humans, Neanderthals likely had variations in skin tone, with evidence suggesting brunette, redhead, and blonde individuals were found. The documentary will likely delve into the many theories surrounding their disappearance around 40,000 years ago. Did they succumb to climate change, competition with our species, or a combination of factors? This Netflix Documentary will investigate our closest extinct ancestor.