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Analysis paints picture of diets, medicine and possible intimacy with modern humans.

We can only guess as to why a group of Neanderthals built a series of large stalagmite structures in a French cave 175,000 years ago – but the fact they did provides a rare glimpse into our extinct cousin’s potential for social organisation in a challenging environment.

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Neanderthals divided some of their tasks according to their sex. A new study analyzed 99 teeth of 19 individuals from three different sites (El Sidron, in Asturias - Spain, L'Hortus in France, and Spy in Belgium), reveals that the dental grooves in the female fossils follow the same pattern, different to that found in male individuals.

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Researchers say there is no evidence that modern humans' cognitive superiority led to demise of Neanderthals

Cross-breeding boosted Homo sapiens' ability to cope with cool climates, but the hybrids may have had trouble breeding.