Over 60,000 years ago, the first modern humans left their African homeland and entered Europe, where Neanderthals had been living for hundreds of thousands of years. In 2010, a team led by geneticist Svante Paabo reconstructed much of the Neanderthal genome, discovering that they had interbred with humans, leaving a small but consistent signature of Neanderthal genes behind in everyone outside Africa today. In this program, NOVA explores a range of new evidence for Neanderthal self-expression and language, suggesting we may have underestimated our mysterious, long-vanished human cousins?

Encoded with permission for digital streaming by Infobase on August 15, 2014. Classroom Video On Demand is distributed by Infobase for Films for the Humanities & Sciences, Cambridge Educational, Meridian Education, and Shopware.

Rebranding Neanderthals (2:28) -- Decoding Neanderthals: Sponsor Message (0:32) -- Neanderthal Lifestyle (1:53) -- Human Migration (0:57) -- Neanderthal Competition Theory (2:42) -- Neanderthal Technology (3:34) -- Neanderthal Spearheads (2:27) -- Dry Distillation (2:28) -- Neanderthal Language Research (3:30) -- Mapping the Neanderthal Genome (5:22) -- Neanderthal Communication Evidence (1:45) -- Neanderthal and Human Genetic Links (4:30) -- Neanderthal Symbolism (4:37) -- Neanderthal Burials (5:11) -- Neanderthal Extinction Mystery (6:43) -- Neanderthal Genetic Inheritance (3:41) -- Credits: Decoding Neanderthals (1:15).